Review for 10.1186/s12876-020-01395-9 (2020)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Chronic active Epstein -Barr virus infection involving g astrointestinal tract mimicking 
inflammatory bowel disease  
 
Version: 1 Date: 07 Jun 2020  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
This study is an important contribution to the medical literature. Cases of chronic active EBV are 
rare and this study describes findings in the gastrointestinal tract in CAEBV patients and 
compares them with the findings in inflammatory bowel disease. The  manuscript is certainly 
legible but requires dedicated editing to ensure that grammatical and spelling errors are reduced 
to the level expected of a peer reviewed journal.  
 
Minor points:  
 
I think that 'ferroprotein' should be 'ferroportin' as I cannot f ind something called 'ferroprotein.'  
 
In Table 3 - Steroids is mis -spelled.  
 
In Table 3 - What antivirals ('antivirus') were given?  
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1.  Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the 
publi cation of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2.  Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat may in any way gain or 
lose financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the 
future?  
 
3.  Do you hold or are you curr ently applying for any patents  relating to the content 
of the manuscript?  
 
4.  Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization 
that holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5.  Do you have any  other financial competing interests?  
 
6.  Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interes ts' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
Reviewer Publication Consent. I agree for my report to be made  available under an Open 
Access Creative Commons CC -BY License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 ) if this 
manuscript is accepted for publication. Any comments that I do not wish to be included in the 
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I agree to the terms of the CC -BY 4.0 license; please do not publish my name with my repor t. 
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