Review for 10.1186/s12876-018-0831-x (2018)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: A practical guid e for probiotics applied to the case of antibiotic -associated diarrhea in The 
Netherlands  
 
Version: 1 Date: 25 Apr 2018  
 
Reviewer: Luis Vitetta  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
I have read the revised manuscript that investigated a practical guide to probiotics use as applied 
to antibiotic associated diarrhea.  
 
Some minor points for the author s to consider:  
1. Page 8 line 10 -11: the authors describe probiotics as contributing to the maintenance of 
health…please consider that perhaps probiotics contribute to the maintenance of a balanced 
intestinal microbiota and consider amending.  
 
2. Page 8 li ne 43: rather than compete with pathogens for adhesion sites on the gastrointestinal 
mucosa…this needs to be clearly referenced otherwise change to adhesion sites on intestinal 
mucus.  
 
3. Page 8 line 47: interfering with signaling should be clarified, otherwise what type of 
signaling is being alluded to here?  
 
4. Re the safety of probiotics, while it is agreed that probiotics are safe in healthy people, the 
fact that millions of doses are  consumed globally daily by ill people the authors should 
better temper the sentence on page 9 line 14.  
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please s pecify 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 sh own?  
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  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspect s 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:  
 
Acceptable  
 
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 publi cation 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 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 interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
1. Yes. I conduct research with probiotics.  
2. Yes.  
3. No.  
4. No  
5. No  
6. No  
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 Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/lic enses/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