PONE-D-25-52951Genetic diversity, genetic population structure and epidemiology of multidrug resistance Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Kenya.PLOS ONE

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PLOS ONE

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Additional Editor Comments:

Line 19 : "It colonizes the genitourinary tract": this is misleading as "colonize" may mistakenly indicate N gonorrhoeae is normal flora. Please correct this statement.

Lines 21-22: "Neisseria gonorrhoeae can lead to serious health complications, including disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), epididymitis in men, and adverse pregnancy outcomes(Quillin & Seifert, 2018).": The cited reference is old. The authors should introduce the co-infection between NG and other STIs and mpox, especially in the recent mpox outbreaks, to increase the significance of this study.  More references should be cited, with this one (PMID: 38793665) as an example (citing is optional).

The authors should introduce the progress of molecular testing for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, e.g., isothermal nucleic acid amplification (e.g., TMA). More references should be cited, with this one (Liu, B.M. Isothermal nucleic acid amplification technologies and CRISPR-Cas based nucleic acid detection strategies for infectious disease diagnostics. p 30-47. In Manual of Molecular Microbiology: Fundamentals and Applications; ASM Press: Washington, DC, USA, 2025.doi:10.1128/9781683674597.ch03.) as an example (citing is optional).

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: Everything is upto mark …….

All dual publication research ethics and publication ethics

Everything is ok

Manuscript is ok

Nothing changes are required according to me

Reviewer #2: Manuscript entitled 'Genetic diversity, genetic population structure, and epidemiology of multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Kenya.' looks at the genetic characteristics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from the

repository of genomes (72 FASTQ reads and 20 assembled genomes) and analyzed the diversity or relatedness using several tools for identification of AMR genes and have noted a high recombinant rate. A prelude to the spread of AMR. The work is conducted precisely with appropriate analytical tools to demonstrate relatedness and diversity.

However, the conclusions and predictions that have been put forward have not been backed by data.

1. There is no geographical mapping of the isolates based on their genetic markers. The isolates have originated from various parts of Kenya. But genetic groupings area-wise have not been done. This will help delineate areas with increased AMR.

2. Specific genes coding for resistance have not been highlighted to show area-wise specific antibiotic resistance.

3. No epidemiological correlation has been done.

4. No population characteristics related to genomic diversity of the strains have been looked at.

5. Detail comments have been listed by track changes in the manuscript.

The authors need to address these crucial facts for the paper to have a meaningful impact on the genetic study of MDR N. gonorrhoeae.

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Reviewer #1: Yes: Bhavneet kour

Reviewer #2: No

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Submitted filename: PONE-D-25-52951due 23rd.pdf

<p>Genetic diversity, genetic population structure and epidemiology of multidrug resistance Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Kenya.

PONE-D-25-52951R1

Dear Dr. MUKHEBI,

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,

Benjamin M. Liu, MBBS, PhD, D(ABMM), MB(ASCP)

Academic Editor

PLOS One

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