Average rating: | Rated 4.5 of 5. |
Level of importance: | Rated 5 of 5. |
Level of validity: | Rated 5 of 5. |
Level of completeness: | Rated 4 of 5. |
Level of comprehensibility: | Rated 4 of 5. |
Competing interests: | None |
Salmonella enterica is one of the most important bacterial pathogens causing gastrointestinal disorders in humans and contaminated seed sprouts (alfalfa, mung bean, radish, etc.) act as important source of human salmonellosis. Here, a combined DNA-based fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with flow cytometry (FCM) approach is introduced for the rapid molecular detection of Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium in contaminated seed sprouts. Therefore, the results of the present study have significant implication in its specific field particularly in food safely issues.
However, this reviewer has few minor comments on the manuscript that the authors may consider in revision:
1. Cooperative binding of Sal3 and Salm-63 described in Fig 1 is interesting. However, it might be better to shorten figure legends. Authors made their hypothesis and described how they tested their hypothesis within figure legends. It is better to exclude those points from figure legends. Authors may include those points in result section, not within figure legend.
2. Results described under the subheading “Cultural and molecular characterization of endogenous sprout microbiota” are not presented either in Table or Figure. This reviewer thinks that at least molecular survey results of endogenous sprout microbiota (though the results may not reflect the true prevalence of each microbial type) needs to be shown as supplementary data in the form of table or figure.
3. Page 4: Subheading: Pre-analytical sample preparation: …… were aliquoted into in 1.5 ml polypropylene microcentrifuge…….>> …..were aliquoted into 1.5 ml polypropylene microcentrifuge……
4. Page 8: Subheading: Impact of TTF on detection sensitivity>> Is it TTF or TFF? It might be better to spelled out the acronym in subheading for a broader readership.