PONE-D-19-28746

Performance of Genotype MTBDRsl V2.0 over 1 the Genotype MTBDRsl V1 for detection of second-line drug resistance: An Indian perspective

PLOS ONE

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The reviewer has pointed out the need to revise the manuscript and provide more details on some specific points. One of the Tables also needs improvement

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We wish to thank Mr Akash Ojha and Mr Ashish Soni for their technical help in this study. This study was supported by the grant from Indian Council of Medical Research, Government of India (5/8/5/41/2016/ECD-I) to SS.

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Additional Editor Comments:

The reviewer has pointed out the need to revise the manuscript and provide more details on some specific points. One of the Tables also needs improvement

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: N/A

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: I read with interest manuscript by Rufai et al reporting on the results of a head-to-head comparison of two versions on Hain MTBDRplus in an Indian TB laboratory.

In my opinion design of the study is clear, and conclusions are supported by the results. Relative lack of novelty is one of the problems but bearing in mind study was conducted in high TB incidence settings I don't consider this a major issue.

My recommendations are as follow:

- it would be helpful to know what was the principle of specimens selection, and whether it essentially should be considered a convenience sample - this is necessary to put the results in the context, and decide if these

could be considered generaliseble/expandable to other areas in India.

- I strongly recommend that Table 3 is re-formatted and band patterns are reported as combined patterns with missing WT band and specific mutation bands visible; the way it reports patterns now is extremely confusing and misleading.

- i think expanding on cost issues would be really beneficial in the context of implementation of LPAs for rapid detection of XDR/pre-XDR isolates in India and similar settings. I was really surprised to learn cost of MTBDRplus version 2.0 was significantly higher compared to V1.0 which was not the case in any settings (including high prevalence) I am familiar with. More accurate information is needed on price per test (paper reports cost per kit and it's unclear if it per 12 test box or..?). I would encourage providing more information on prices and call for urgent action from international and more importantly national bodies and considerations on the role of private providers in TB laboratory and diagnostic management in India.

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Reviewer #1: No

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Performance of Genotype MTBDRsl V2.0 over 1 the Genotype MTBDRsl V1 for detection of second-line drug resistance: An Indian perspective

PONE-D-19-28746R1

Dear Dr. Singh,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it complies with all outstanding technical requirements.

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With kind regards,

Iddya Karunasagar

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

All reviewer comments have been addressed.

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: N/A

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: Reviewer's comments and questions have been adequately addressed so I believe it's now suitable for publication

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

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Reviewer #1: No