Prevalence of respiratory bacterial infections in people with lower respiratory tract infections in Africa: the BARIAFRICA systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

INTRODUCTION: The burden of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) is a substantial public health concern. However, the epidemiology of LRTI and its bacterial aetiologies are poorly characterised, particularly in the African continent. Providing accurate data can help design cost-effective interventions to curb the burden of respiratory infections in Africa. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be to determine the prevalence of respiratory Bacterial Aetiologies in people with low Respiratory tract Infections in Africa (BARIAFRICA) and associated factors. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, African Journals Online, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Global Index Medicus to identify studies that reported the prevalence (of enough data to compute this estimate) of respiratory bacterial infections in people with LRTIs in Africa from 1 January 2000 to 31 March 2018, without any linguistic restrictions. Study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be conducted independently by two investigators. Heterogeneity will be evaluated using the χ² test on Cochran’s Q statistic and quantified with H and I² statistics. Prevalence will be pooled using a random-effect meta-analysis model. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses will be used to identify sources of heterogeneity of prevalence estimates. This study will be reported according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Since this study will be based on published data, it does not require ethical approval. This systematic review and meta-analysis is intended to serve as a basis for determining the burden of LRTIs, for identifying data gaps and for guiding future investigations in Africa. The final report will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented in conferences and submitted to relevant health policy makers. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018092359.