Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33509305›Full record

ArticleTropical medicine and health2021

Prevalence and dynamics of clinically significant bacterial contaminants in herbal medicines sold in East Africa from 2000 to 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abdul Walusansa, Savina Asiimwe, Hussein M Kafeero, Iramiot J Stanley, Jamilu E Ssenku, Jesca L Nakavuma, Esezah K Kakudidi

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Tropical medicine and health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 2 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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
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

7 authors.

Abdul WalusansaDepartment of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, School of Biosciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. abdulwalusansa@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9769-1343
Savina AsiimweDepartment of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, School of Biosciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Hussein M KafeeroDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Habib Medical School, Islamic University in Uganda, Kampala, Uganda.
Iramiot J StanleyDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Jamilu E SsenkuDepartment of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, School of Biosciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Jesca L NakavumaDepartment of Biomolecular and Biolaboratory Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Esezah K KakudidiDepartment of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, School of Biosciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInfectious diseases remain a leading cause of mortality and morbidity around the world, and those caused by bacteria are common in the East African region. In this region, trade and consumption of herbal medicine has been expanding in the recent decades. Herbal medicines may be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria; however, there is limited information due to fragmented studies in East Africa. In this meta-analysis, we critically analyzed original research related to the incidence of pathogenic bacterial contaminants of HM in the East African region since 2000. The aim was to create a comprehensive understanding of the extent and dynamics of bacterial contamination in HM, to guide future research and concerted public health protection in the region. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted according to the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. We searched and evaluated published articles from eleven electronic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, HerbMed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scifinder Scholar, Cochrane Library, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, EMBASE, Biological Abstracts and Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau Abstracts). Prevalences of different bacterial species, Cochran's Q test, and the I

resultsFourteen studies met our inclusion criteria. Overall, the studies were highly heterogeneous (I CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The East African herbal medicine industry poses considerable health risks to communities through dissemination of clinically significant bacteria. Presence of enteric bacterial contaminants indicates possible fecal pollution of herbal medicine region-wide. Adequate research pertaining to microbial safety of herbal medicine in the East African countries remains highly desired. The latter will enable establishment of strong, region-wide herbal safety mechanisms in order to support comprehensive public health protection in East Africa.

Indexed as

Bacterial contaminationEast AfricaHerbal medicineSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID33509305
PMCPMC7841910

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.