Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34521454›Full record

SynthesisParasites & vectors2021

Prevalence of malaria and scrub typhus co-infection in febrile patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Polrat Wilairatana, Saruda Kuraeiad, Pongruj Rattaprasert, Manas Kotepui

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Parasites & vectors, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Procalcitonin as a Candidate Biomarker for Malarial Infection and Severe Malaria: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Epidemiological Changes in Acute Febrile Diseases after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Acute hepatitis in tropics: A rainbow of causes.Indian journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology · 2023
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. 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

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Polrat WilairatanaDepartment of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
Saruda KuraeiadDepartment of Medical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
Pongruj RattaprasertDepartment of Protozoology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
Manas KotepuiDepartment of Medical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand. manas.ko@wu.ac.th.
Walailak University · THMahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit · THMahidol University · TH

Funding

Walailak University The New Strategic Research (P2P) project
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLittle information is available about malaria and scrub typhus co-infection. This study aimed to investigate the pooled prevalence of malaria and scrub typhus co-infection in febrile patients. Further, it aimed to estimate the prevalence of scrub typhus infection among patients with malaria and the odds of co-infection. This will aid the diagnosis and management of co-infected patients in endemic areas.

methodsWe searched for relevant studies in three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for analytical cross-sectional studies. We estimated (1) the pooled prevalence of malaria and scrub typhus co-infection, (2) the pooled prevalence of scrub typhus infection in malaria-positive patients, and (3) the pooled odds of co-infection using the DerSimonian-Laird method for random-effects models. The study results and summary estimates were visualized on a forest plot as point estimates (effect size, prevalence) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We assessed the heterogeneity of the studies by Cochrane Q or I

resultsOf the 542 studies retrieved from three databases, we included 14 meeting the inclusion criteria in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of malaria and scrub typhus co-infection (56 cases) among febrile patients (7920 cases) was 1% (95% CI: 0-1%, I

conclusionsThe present study showed the pooled prevalence and a significant association between malaria and scrub typhus. The results show the status of co-infection. Further research into co-infection in endemic areas is needed, in particular, to determine whether co-infection can accelerate disease progression or protect against severe disease.

Indexed as

CoinfectionCross-Sectional StudiesFeverHumansIndiaMalariaPrevalenceScrub TyphusThailandCo-infectionMalariaOrientia tsutsugamushiPlasmodium spp.Scrub typhus

Identifiers

PMID34521454
PMCPMC8442375
OpenAlexW3199293640

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.