PONE-D-24-25856Spatial risk modelling of highly pathogenic avian influenza in France: fattening duck farm activity mattersPLOS ONE

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. 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

Reviewer #2: Yes

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. 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

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. 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

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. 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: In summary, the research provides valuable insights into the spatial risk factors and predictive models for HPAI infection in France.

The study's focus on accessible data and high-risk areas makes it highly relevant for practical applications in disease control.

Recommendations for future research could include exploring additional predictor variables or applying the model to other regions or types of poultry.

This analysis suggests that the research is well-positioned to contribute to both scientific understanding and practical efforts to manage HPAI, with some room for improvement in the areas of methodological transparency and supplementary materials.

For a better understanding of this phenomenon, and also to ensure a complete and objective overview, I recommend that you cite a scientific article:

Iancu, I. Tirziu, E. Pascu, C., Costinar, L., Degi, J., Badea, C., Gligor, A., Bucur, I., Popa, SA., Herman, V. EVOLUTION OF HPAI AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS STRAINS IN EUROPE BETWEEN 2005 AND 2023, Rev Rom Med Vet (2024) 34 | 1: 138-144, WOS:001253398200004.

https://agmv.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/138_144_Iancu.pdf

Nicoleta Foltoș (Negrilă), G. Brănescu, V.B. Vuță, S. Bărăităreanu, Florica Bărbuceanu The circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) among non-human mammals worldwide during the period 01.01.2019 – 30.04.2024 Rev Rom Med Vet (2024) 34 | 2: 27-35.

https://agmv.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/27_35_Foltos_9_C_4_11zon.pdf

Reviewer #2: I am happy to see the elaboration of the manuscript. But, it has some scientific and grammatical issues in the current version, and I have highlighted some issues here in the attached MS file. Therefore, the present draft needs minor revision before further process.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes: Muhammad Rizwan

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Attachments

Attachment

Submitted filename: Plos-Comments_Rizi.docx

Spatial risk modelling of highly pathogenic avian influenza in France: fattening duck farm activity matters

PONE-D-24-25856R1

Dear Dr. Claire Guinat,

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

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Kind regards,

Mohsan Ullah

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

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

Reviewer #3: 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

Reviewer #3: Yes

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

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

Reviewer #3: 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

Reviewer #3: Yes

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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: After reevaluating the article, we consider that the suggestions have been taken into account and the changes have been made.

Reviewer #3: I would like to express my positive evaluation of the manuscript. After carefully reviewing the content, I find the study to be well-conducted and highly relevant to the field. The authors have thoroughly addressed the key issues raised during the review process, and the revisions have significantly enhanced the clarity and quality of the work. The methodology is sound, and the conclusions are well-supported by the data presented. I believe this manuscript makes a valuable contribution to the literature, and I recommend it for acceptance without further revisions.

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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.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #3: No

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