SynthesisPLoS neglected tropical diseases2022
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the aetiological agents of non-malarial febrile illnesses in Africa.
Synthesis in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Human-to-human transmission of leptospirosis: a global systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Seroprevalence of brucellosis in humans and livestock in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- The magnitude of flaviviruses infection in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Pooled it
- Epidemiology of human and animal leptospirosis in Kenya: A systematic review and meta-analysis of disease occurrence, serogroup diversity and risk factors.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Pooled it
- Article
- Age-Related and Seasonal Variation in Malaria and Other Causes of Fever and Their Association With Clinical Outcomes in Southern Angola: A Hospital-Based Study.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2026Article
- Epidemiology of dengue fever in Ethiopia: Insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis.Parasite epidemiology and control · 2026Article
- Bovine Brucellosis in Dairy Herds in Mali and Niger, 2024: Apparent Seroprevalence and Epidemiological Factors.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Epidemiology of human and animal brucellosis in Kenya: A One Health meta-regression and network analysis.One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Unmasking non-malarial mosquito-borne infections among febrile children in malaria-endemic regions of western Kenya.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- (Sero)prevalence of (re)emerging major arbovirus infections in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Systematic reviews · 2026Article
- Using nanopore metagenomics to characterize pathogens in febrile patients from a highland of Western Kenya.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Mapping of the country-wide prevalence of non-malarial febrile illnesses in areas with varying malaria transmission intensities in Mainland Tanzania.Gates open research · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Molecular and serological diagnosis of multiple bacterial zoonoses in febrile outpatients in Garissa County, north-eastern Kenya.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Sero-prevalence and risk factors associated with occurrence of anti-Brucella antibodies among slaughterhouse workers in Uganda.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- From fever to action: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses.Pathogens and disease · 2024Review
- Next-generation sequencing survey of acute febrile illness in Senegal (2020-2022).Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Performance ofJournal of parasitic diseases : official organ of the Indian Society for Parasitology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe awareness of non-malarial febrile illnesses (NMFIs) has been on the rise over the last decades. Therefore, we undertook a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of causative agents of non-malarial fevers on the African continent. METHODOLOGY: We searched for literature in African Journals Online, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to identify aetiologic agents that had been reported and to determine summary estimates of the proportional morbidity rates (PMr) associated with these pathogens among fever patients.
findingsA total of 133 studies comprising 391,835 patients from 25 of the 54 African countries were eligible. A wide array of aetiologic agents were described with considerable regional differences among the leading agents. Overall, bacterial pathogens tested from blood samples accounted for the largest proportion. The summary estimates from the meta-analysis were low for most of the agents. This may have resulted from a true low prevalence of the agents, the failure to test for many agents or the low sensitivity of the diagnostic methods applied. Our meta-regression analysis of study and population variables showed that diagnostic methods determined the PMr estimates of typhoidal Salmonella and Dengue virus. An increase in the PMr of Klebsiella spp. infections was observed over time. Furthermore, the status of patients as either inpatient or outpatient predicted the PMr of Haemophilus spp. infections.
conclusionThe small number of epidemiological studies and the variety of NMFI agents on the African continent emphasizes the need for harmonized studies with larger sample sizes. In particular, diagnostic procedures for NMFIs should be standardized to facilitate comparability of study results and to improve future meta-analyses. Reliable NMFI burden estimates will inform regional public health strategies.
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