SynthesisPloS one2021
The impact of malaria coinfection on Ebola virus disease outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Ebola virus and Sudan virus infection in humans: a comparison to inform vaccine research and development.Emerging microbes & infections · 2026Review
- Malaria Coinfections Worldwide: An Umbrella Systematic Review of Prevalence and Epidemiological Patterns.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Review
- Incidence of Helminthic and Viral Coinfections in Malaria Patients in the Tertiary Care Hospital Setup.Journal of tropical medicine · 2024Article
- Continental concerted efforts to control the seventh outbreak of Ebola Virus disease in Uganda: The first 90 days of the response.Journal of public health in Africa · 2023Article
- RNA Viruses, Pregnancy and Vaccination: Emerging Lessons from COVID-19 and Ebola Virus Disease.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Viral haemorrhagic fevers and malaria co-infections among febrile patients seeking health care in Tanzania.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2022Article
- Recent malaria does not substantially impact COVID-19 antibody response or rates of symptomatic illness in communities with high malaria and COVID-19 transmission in Mali, West Africa.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionViral outbreaks present a particular challenge in countries in Africa where there is already a high incidence of other infectious diseases, including malaria which can alter immune responses to secondary infection. Ebola virus disease (EVD) is one such problem; understanding how Plasmodium spp. and Ebolavirus (EBOV) interact is important for future outbreaks.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review in PubMed and Web of Science to find peer-reviewed papers with primary data literature to determine 1) prevalence of EBOV/Plasmodium spp. coinfection, 2) effect of EBOV/Plasmodium spp. coinfection on EVD pathology and the immune response, 3) impact of EBOV/Plasmodium spp. coinfection on the outcome of EVD-related mortality. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted with the R package meta to produce overall proportion and effect estimates as well as measure between-study heterogeneity.
resultsFrom 322 peer-reviewed papers, 17 were included in the qualitative review and nine were included in a meta-analysis. Prevalence of coinfection was between 19% and 72%. One study reported significantly lower coagulatory response biomarkers in coinfected cases but no difference in inflammatory markers. Case fatality rates were similar between EBOV(+)/Pl(+) and EBOV(+)/Pl(-) cases (62.8%, 95% CI 49.3-74.6 and 56.7%, 95% CI 53.2-60.1, respectively), and there was no significant difference in risk of mortality (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.90-1.31) although heterogeneity between studies was high. One in vivo mouse model laboratory study found no difference in mortality by infection status, but another found prior acute Plasmodium yoeli infection was protective against morbidity and mortality via the IFN-γ signalling pathway.
conclusionThe literature was inconclusive; studies varied widely and there was little attempt to adjust for confounding variables. Laboratory studies may present the best option to answer how pathogens interact within the body but improvement in data collection and analysis and in diagnostic methods would aid patient studies in the future.
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