Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25261423›Full record

SynthesisThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2015

The spread of carbapenemase-producing bacteria in Africa: a systematic review.

Rendani I Manenzhe, Heather J Zar, Mark P Nicol, Mamadou Kaba

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 96 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
96citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

96 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Trial
  7. Extended spectrum beta lactamases and carbapenemase-producingOne health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026
    Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Carbapenem-resistantMicrobiology spectrum · 2026
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. The intricacies ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2025
    Review

36 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Rendani I ManenzheDivision of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Heather J ZarDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Mark P NicolDivision of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa National Health Laboratory Service, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Mamadou KabaDivision of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa mamadou.kaba@hotmail.com.

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCarbapenems are the last line of defence against ever more prevalent MDR Gram-negative bacteria, but their efficacy is threatened worldwide by bacteria that produce carbapenemase enzymes. The epidemiology of bacteria producing carbapenemases has been described in considerable detail in Europe, North America and Asia; however, little is known about their spread and clinical relevance in Africa.

methodsWe systematically searched in PubMed, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Scopus, Elsevier Masson Consulte and African Journals Online, international conference proceedings, published theses and dissertations for studies reporting on carbapenemase-producing bacteria in Africa. We included articles published in English or French up to 28 February 2014. We calculated the prevalence of carbapenemase producers only including studies where the total number of isolates tested was at least 30.

resultsEighty-three studies were included and analysed. Most studies were conducted in North Africa (74%, 61/83), followed by Southern Africa (12%, 10/83), especially South Africa (90%, 9/10), West Africa (8%, 7/83) and East Africa (6%, 6/83). Carbapenemase-producing bacteria were isolated from humans, the hospital environment and community environmental water samples, but not from animals. The prevalence of carbapenemase-producing isolates in hospital settings ranged from 2.3% to 67.7% in North Africa and from 9% to 60% in sub-Saharan Africa.

conclusionsCarbapenemase-producing bacteria have been described in many African countries; however, their prevalence is poorly defined and has not been systematically studied. Antibiotic stewardship and surveillance systems, including molecular detection and genotyping of resistant isolates, should be implemented to monitor and reduce the spread of carbapenemase-producing bacteria.

Indexed as

AfricaBacterial Proteinsbeta-LactamasesGram-Negative BacteriaGram-Negative Bacterial InfectionsHumansPrevalenceBacterial Proteinsbeta-Lactamasescarbapenemaseantibiotic resistanceepidemiologyGram-negativeβ-lactamase

Identifiers

PMID25261423
PMCPMC5975721

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.