Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38781286›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2024

Asymptomatic infections with Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis among women in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Camille Fortas, Elisabeth Delarocque-Astagneau, Rindra Vatosoa Randremanana, Tania Crucitti, Bich-Tram Huynh

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Worldwide prevalence ofNew microbes and new infections · 2026
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. High Burden ofMicroorganisms · 2026
    Article
  10. Observational
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Profile ofHuman vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2025
    Article
  15. Review
  16. Rapid and simple detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae using the EasyNAT CT/NG assay based on cross-priming amplification.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Prevalence ofMicroorganisms · 2024
    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

5 authors.

Camille FortasEpidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion Unit (EMAE), Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3274-8463
Elisabeth Delarocque-AstagneauAnti-infective Evasion and Pharmacoepidemiology Team, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, Université Paris-Saclay, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5129-9300
Rindra Vatosoa RandremananaUnit of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Tania CrucittiUnit of Experimental Bacteriology, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Bich-Tram HuynhEpidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion Unit (EMAE), Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6340-9557

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Syndromic management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is common in settings with limited access to diagnostic testing. However, this approach does not capture asymptomatic STIs. Untreated asymptomatic infections may result in serious complications and sequelae in women. We aimed to estimate the proportion and the prevalence of asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infections among women in low- and middle-income countries. We searched Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles published between 2000 and 2022. We used random effect models to compute the proportion and prevalence estimates and performed sub-group analysis. We evaluated the quality of each article using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies and performed sensitivity analyses. This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022286673. Forty-eight eligible studies were included. The proportion of asymptomatic CT, NG, and TV infections were: 60.7% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 50.4; 70.5], 53.3% [37.1; 69.1], and 56.9% [44.6; 68.9], respectively. The proportion of women with asymptomatic infections was the highest in Africa for the three pathogens. The pooled prevalence of asymptomatic CT, NG, and TV infection was 4.70 per 100 women [95%CI: 3.39; 6.20], 3.11 [1.34; 5.54], and 5.98 [3.46; 9.12], respectively. More than half of the women infected by CT, NG, or TV were asymptomatic. To avoid undiagnosed and untreated asymptomatic infections leading to complications, alternative approaches to syndromic management urgently need to be considered.

Identifiers

PMID38781286
PMCPMC11115196

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Registered trials

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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.