Review for 10.1186/s12876-020-01202-5 (2020)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Invasive intestinal Mucormycosis in a 40 -year old immunocompetent patient ⸻ a rarely 
reported clinical phenomenon: A case report  
 
Version: 1 Date: 29 Dec 2019  
 
Reviewer: Daniela Lenggenhager  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Thanks to the authors for addressing my concerns/comm ents regarding the histopathological part 
of the manuscript.  
The histopathological part in the main text reads very well now. Please add a "." at the end of the 
2 sentences: on page 4, line 16 and page 6, line 18.  
 
Comment on the Figure legends:  
Figure 3: As the H &amp; E stain as well as the magnification 100x is valid for BOTH pictures, 
please consider to change the legend as follows:  
 
"Figure 3A: Colon biopsies from the center of a mucosal ulceration with sparsely septated 
hyphae of zygomycetes (black arrow) lying in fibrinous exudate. Figure 3B: Biopsy from a colon 
polyp with surface deposits of fungal filaments of zygomycetes (black a rrow) lying in an acute 
suppurative inflammation exudate. Both photomicrographs: hematoxylin and eosin (H &amp; E) 
stain, magnification 100x."  
 
Figure 4: The style should be the same in the different Figure legends (not "Figure 4A &amp;  
4B:....", but like th e others: "Figure 4A, B:..."). Figure 4A is PAS stain, and 4B is GMS stain, so 
please, indicate accordingly. Furthermore, you could add the magnification in the end. So, please 
consider to change the legend as follows:  
 
"Figure 4A, B: Periodic acid -Schiff s tain (PAS; A) and Gomori Methenamine -Silver stain 
(GMS; B) highlighting the wide, ribbon -like, sparsely septated hyphae with wide -angle 
branching (approximately 90°; red arrow), characteristic of zygomycetes species. Both 
photomicrographs: magnification ?? ?x." 
 
I was asked to specifically review the histopathology and thus, focussed my review to this aspect 
of the manuscript. However, I think, that in general, there is still the need of some language 
corrections before being published.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 nece ssary 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 a ny statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify 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 t he 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 organisatio n 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 currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fe es, 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 declare that I h ave no competing interests.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the jou rnal. 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/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