Review for 10.1186/s12876-017-0586-9 (2017)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  Cytomegalovirus colitis in hospitalized i nflammatory bowel disease patients in Taiwan: a 
referral center study.  
 
Version: 0 Date: 21 Aug 2016 
 
Reviewer:  Piotr  Eder  
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
This is an interestin g study concerning the problem of CMV colits in hospitalized IBD patients 
in Taiwan.  
 
The paper deserves attention, however some improvements needs to be done:  
 
1. The quality of written English needs to be improved.  
 
2. What was the exact definition of CMV  colitis? Inclusion bodies in H&E staining in any cell? 
Or there was a defined cut -off point in terms of the number of "positive" cells in H&E staining 
for the diagnosis of CMV colitis? Please also describe in detail how IHC was assessed? You 
have to clari fy more thoroughly how CMV colitis was defined in the methods section.  
 
3. Are you able to distinguish between active CMV colitis and latent CMV infection based on 
the methods you used? Are there any data on that in the literature - how to distinguish betwe en 
these two different medical situations?  
 
4. Please provide in the results section (as figures) examples of positive inclusion bodies in H&E 
staining and a figure showing positive IHC staining for CMV.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comme nts to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
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 manuscript or would you recommend an 
additiona l statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
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, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the public ation of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently 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 interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I received lecture fees from Abbvie Poland and travel grant from Astellas Poland.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Acce ss Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published . 
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal