Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34210330›Full record

SynthesisEnvironmental health : a global access science source2021

Association of indoor microbial aerosols with respiratory symptoms among under-five children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Adekunle Gregory Fakunle, Nkosana Jafta, Rajen N Naidoo, Lidwien A M Smit

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Environmental health : a global access science source, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Optimization ofJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
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.

Adekunle Gregory FakunleDiscipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. fakunz@yahoo.com.ORCID 0000-0001-8391-9394
Nkosana JaftaDiscipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Rajen N NaidooDiscipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Lidwien A M SmitInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Environmental Epidemiology Division (IRAS-EEPI), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite the recognition of the importance of indoor microbial exposures on children's health, the role of different microbial agents in development and aggravation of respiratory symptoms and diseases is only poorly understood. This study aimed to assess whether exposure to microbial aerosols within the indoor environment are associated with respiratory symptoms among children under-5 years of age.

methodsA systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, GreenFILE, ScienceDirect, EMBASE and Cochrane library through February 2020. Studies that investigated the exposure-response relationship between components of the indoor microbial communities and respiratory symptoms among under-five children were eligible for inclusion. A random-effect meta-analysis was applied to estimate pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for study specific high versus low microbial exposures. The potential effect of individual studies on the overall estimate was evaluated using leave-one-out analysis, while heterogeneity was evaluated by I

resultsFifteen studies were eligible for inclusion in a meta-analysis. The pooled risk estimate suggested that increased microbial exposure was associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms [pooled relative risk (RR): 1.24 (1.09, 1.41), P = 0.001]. The association was strongest with exposure to a combination of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium and Alternaria species [pooled RR: 1.73 (1.30, 2.31), P = 0.0002]. Stratified analysis revealed an increased risk of wheeze [pooled RR: 1.20 (1.05, 1.37), P = 0.007 and allergic rhinitis [RR: 1.18 (0.94, 1.98), P = 0.16] from any microbial exposure.

conclusionsMicrobial exposures are, in general, associated with risk of respiratory symptoms. Future studies are needed to study the indoor microbiome more comprehensively, and to investigate the mechanism of these associations.

Indexed as

FungiRespiratory SoundsAerosolsAir MicrobiologyAir PollutantsAir Pollution, IndoorChild, PreschoolHumansInfantInfant, NewbornRespiratory Tract DiseasesAerosolsAir PollutantsAsthmaIndoor microbiomeMeta-analysisRespiratory symptomsUnder-five children

Identifiers

PMID34210330
PMCPMC8252236

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.