Worldwide prevalence of maternal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Microb Pathog. 2022 Oct:171:105743. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105743. Epub 2022 Aug 28.

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection during pregnancy can adversely influence the well-being of pregnant women, fetuses, and neonates. To our knowledge, there is no global data on the maternal prevalence of MRSA colonization. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the global and regional prevalence rates of MRSA colonization among pregnant women. We searched international databases (i.e., MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science collection, and SciELO) for studies published from inception to March 10, 2022. Observational population-based studies reporting MRSA colonization among pregnant women were eligible to be included. We utilized the random-effects meta-analyses to compute the pooled prevalence estimates of maternal colonization across studies at 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The heterogeneity was assessed by I2 statistic and the Cochran's Q test. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were used to adjust for potential sources of heterogeneity. The data source regarding maternal MRSA colonization included 55 studies from 24 countries and 110,654 pregnant women. The worldwide pooled prevalence for maternal MRSA colonization was 3.23% (95% CI, 2.40-4.17%), with the highest and lowest colonization rates for Africa (9.13%, 4.36-15.34%) and Europe (0.79%, 0.28-1.51%), respectively. We estimated that nearly 4.5 million pregnant women are colonized with MRSA worldwide. MRSA colonization rates were higher among black ethnicity, multiparous women, pregnant women with prior MRSA infection, women with lower personal hygiene, and those living in lower-income and human development indices countries or regions. MRSA colonizes substantial numbers of pregnant women worldwide, with varying prevalence rates in different regions; however, further investigations are needed to recognize regional differences. Our findings emphasized the need for prevention efforts against MRSA to reduce the health risks among women and newborns.

Keywords: Meta-analysis; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Pregnant women; Systematic review; Worldwide prevalence.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Review
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Carrier State / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Staphylococcal Infections* / epidemiology