ArticleBMC infectious diseases2019
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in East Africa: red alert or red herring?
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 90 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nasopharyngeal Carriage Rate, Risk Factors, and Co-Resistance Patterns of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.MicrobiologyOpen · 2026Pooled it
- Dose optimization of β-lactams antibiotics in pediatrics and adults: A systematic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- Mapping the antimicrobial susceptibility of methicillin-resistantMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- Clinical profiles of patients with antibiotic-resistant infections at select tertiary hospitals in Uganda: a retrospective study of clinical records.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Trends and patterns of antimicrobial resistance among Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various clinical specimens: a national laboratory-based AMR surveillance, 2020-2024.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Antimicrobial resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus isolates in tertiary hospital in Somalia: a retrospective study.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Phenotypic and Genotypic Analyses of Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns ofThe Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2026Article
- Bacterial spectrum and proportion of multidrug-resistant bacteria in clinical samples from a regional hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon (2017-2023): Implications for antimicrobial resistance surveillance and public health.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Systematic review and meta-analysis ofOne health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2025Review
- Infection of neonates withMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Understanding the burden and impact of methicillin-resistantFrontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Leveraging disease outbreak news to strengthen the global response to antimicrobial resistance: a call for action.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Methicillin and vancomycin-resistantInfection prevention in practice · 2024Article
- Article
- Antibacterial activity of Bajakah Kalalawit phenolic against Staphylococcus aureus and possible use of phenolic nanoparticles.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Vaginal colonization with virulent and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among Ugandan women in Labour.BMC microbiology · 2024Article
- Genomic characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients attending regional referral hospitals in Tanzania.BMC medical genomics · 2024Article
- Displacement of Hospital-Acquired, Methicillin-ResistantMicroorganisms · 2024Article
- Characterization of Antibiotic Resistance in Select Tertiary Hospitals in Uganda: An Evaluation of 2020 to 2023 Routine Surveillance Data.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and has resultant important economic and societal costs underscoring the need for accurate surveillance. In recent years, prevalence rates reported in East Africa have been inconsistent, sparking controversy and raising concern.
methodsWe described antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Staphylococcus aureus isolates cultured from patients within the Internal Medicine department of the largest public healthcare facility in East and Central Africa- the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi, Kenya. Routine antimicrobial susceptibility data from non-duplicate Staphylococcus aureus isolates cultured between the years 2014-2016 from the medical wards in KNH were reviewed.
resultsAntimicrobial susceptibility data from a total of 187 Staphylococcus aureus isolates revealed an overall MRSA prevalence of 53.4%. Isolates remained highly susceptible to linezolid, tigecycline, teicoplanin and vancomycin.
conclusionsThe prevalence of MRSA was found to be much higher than that reported in private tertiary facilities in the same region. Careful interrogation of antimicrobial susceptibility results is important to uproot any red herrings and reserve genuine cause for alarm, as this has a critical bearing on health and economic outcomes for a population.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.