Molecular Investigation of Theileria and Babesia Species in Domestic Mammals from Sardinia, Italy
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
- In general, the manuscript needs a language revision for readability.
- Line 10: Replace "With the aim of monitoring" with "Aiming to monitor".
- Line 14: Replace "Babesia" with "Babesia spp." or with "Theileria/Babesia spp." as in abstract.
- Line 17: The acronym TBDs was not used again in the abstract. Remove acronym.
- Line 17: Replace "Piroplasmosis is an important tick-borne disease" with "Piroplasmosis is an tick-borne disease".
- Line 18: Replace "Aim of this" with "The aimof this".
- Line 22: Why "piroplasmid" is in italic?
- Keywords must be arranged in alphabetical order.
- Line 36-37: The statement "Babesia genera (phylum Apicomplexa, order Piroplasmida] are responsible for economic important diseases of both domestic and wild animals" is vague. Try changing the text citing some of the problems caused. Ex: "Babesia genera (phylum Apicomplexa, order Piroplasmida] are responsible for diseases (anemia, weakness, fever, decreased hemoglobin etc.) and economic losses both in domestic and wild animals".
- Line 56: Sorry, but I didn't understand what the term "Chisu" means.
- Line 63: The Figure 1 legend must be improved. Ex: Map of Sardinia with sample collection sites for Babesia/Theileria molecular detection in mammals between 2020-2021.
- Line 108: Equidae should not be in italic.
- Line 116-117: The Table 1 legend must be improved. Ex: Positive samples for Babesia and Theileria spp. and details of sequences obtained from horses and cattle from Sardinia, Italy, between 2020-2021.
- The GenBank sequence deposit code for this study was missing from the results and Table 1.
- Line 139: Replace "Theileria equi" with "T. equi.".
- Line 143: Replace "Theileria orientalis" with "T. orientalis".
- Line 150: As it is the first citation of the tick species, put them in full.
- Line 158: Remove "that constrain the health of equine populations".
- Line 165: Replace "Rh. annulatus" with "R. annulatus".
- Line 166: Replace "Babesia bigemina", with "B. bigemina".
- Line 170: Replace "As already mentioned" with "In addition".
- Line 180: Replace "in the Island" with "in Sardinia, Italy".
Author Response
In general, the manuscript needs a language revision for readability.
Response: The paper has been revised and it is now more readable
- Line 10: Replace "With the aim of monitoring" with "Aiming to monitor".
Response: Done
- Line 14: Replace "Babesia" with "Babesia spp." or with "Theileria/Babesia spp." as in abstract.
Response: Done
- Line 17: The acronym TBDs was not used again in the abstract. Remove acronym.
Response: Removed
- Line 17: Replace "Piroplasmosis is an important tick-borne disease" with "Piroplasmosis is an tick-borne disease".
Response: Done
- Line 18: Replace "Aim of this" with "The aim of this".
Response: Done
- Line 22: Why "piroplasmid" is in italic?
Response: Done
- Keywords must be arranged in alphabetical order.
Response: Done
- Line 36-37: The statement "Babesia genera (phylum Apicomplexa, order Piroplasmida] are responsible for economic important diseases of both domestic and wild animals" is vague. Try changing the text citing some of the problems caused. Ex: "Babesia genera (phylum Apicomplexa, order Piroplasmida] are responsible for diseases (anemia, weakness, fever, decreased hemoglobin etc.) and economic losses both in domestic and wild animals".
Response: Done
- Line 56: Sorry, but I didn't understand what the term "Chisu" means.
Response: Deleted
- Line 63: The Figure 1 legend must be improved. Ex: Map of Sardinia with sample collection sites for Babesia/Theileria molecular detection in mammals between 2020-2021.
Response: Done
- Line 108: Equidae should not be in italic.
Response: Done
- Line 116-117: The Table 1 legend must be improved. Ex: Positive samples for Babesia and Theileria spp. and details of sequences obtained from horses and cattle from Sardinia, Italy, between 2020-2021.
Response: Added
- The GenBank sequence deposit code for this study was missing from the results and Table 1.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion, but these sequences will be deposit in the GenBank database in a future paper where all strains detected from Sardinian mammals will be philigenetically compared.
- Line 139: Replace "Theileria equi" with "T. equi.".
Response: Done
- Line 143: Replace "Theileria orientalis" with "T. orientalis".
Response: Done
- Line 150: As it is the first citation of the tick species, put them in full.
Response: Done
- Line 158: Remove "that constrain the health of equine populations".
Response: Deleted
- Line 165: Replace "Rh. annulatus" with "R. annulatus".
Response: Done
- Line 166: Replace "Babesia bigemina", with "B. bigemina".
Response: Done
- Line 170: Replace "As already mentioned" with "In addition".
Response: Done
- Line 180: Replace "in the Island" with "in Sardinia, Italy".
Response: Done
Reviewer 2 Report
The manuscript reports the finding of piroplasmids by molecular methods in blood samples from several domestic mammalian hosts from Sardinia (Italy).
The methods used are adequate, and the results obtained are quite interesting from an epidemiological viewpoint.
Nevertheless, I recommend to revise several parts of the ms in order to carry out minor corrections:
line 46: withour zoonotic concern;
line 56: please, change "[Chisu]" by the number of the reference [8]?;
line 70: gene;
line 97: gene;
line 122: Sardinian;
line 147: island;
line 150: you can include the complete name of the genus of the ticks;
line 159: region;
line 179: spectrum instead gamma;
line 180: island;
please, revise the format of the reference number 7 and adapt it to the journal style.
Author Response
line 46: withour zoonotic concern;
Response: Modified
line 56: please, change "[Chisu]" by the number of the reference [8]?;
Response: Changed
line 70: gene;
Response: Done
line 97: gene;
Response: Done
line 122: Sardinian;
Response: corrected
line 147: island;
Response: corrected
line 150: you can include the complete name of the genus of the ticks;
Response: corrected
line 159: region;
Response: corrected
line 179: spectrum instead gamma;
Response: corrected
line 180: island;
Response: corrected
please, revise the format of the reference number 7 and adapt it to the journal style.
Response: done
