Khalilzadegan Armina, Hadianfard Ali Mohammad, Ekram Alireza, Mehrabinia Marzieh, Shirali Beheshteh, Amirrajab Nasrin
Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Department of Health Information Technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Infect Dis Clin Microbiol. 2025 Jun 26;7(2):114-122. doi: 10.36519/idcm.2025.503. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Meningitis is one of the most severe manifestations of fungal infections in the central nervous system. Various microorganisms, including fungi, can cause the disease. Understanding the prevalence of fungal meningitis is crucial for identifying geographical areas with higher incidence rates and improving prevention, control, and treatment strategies. This study aimed to highlight gaps in understanding disease-causing factors and vulnerable populations.
This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to systematically review articles on fungal meningitis from 2014 to 2023. Relevant articles were screened for eligibility and quality-checked using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tools before inclusion in the final analysis.
A total of 33 articles were included in the review. Most of the articles on the prevalence of fungal meningitis were published in 2015. The highest number of studies were conducted in the United States, southern African countries, and Brazil. spp. was identified as the primary cause of fungal meningitis in 84.8% of the articles. Additionally, HIV was the most commonly associated medical condition.
This systematic review provides an overview of the global epidemiology of fungal meningitis and underscores its significant burden. While progress has been made in understanding the epidemiology of the disease, major challenges remain in early diagnosis, access to effective treatment, and management of complications. Continued research and improved access to healthcare resources are critical to mitigating the impact of this life-threatening condition worldwide.
脑膜炎是中枢神经系统真菌感染最严重的表现之一。包括真菌在内的多种微生物均可引发该疾病。了解真菌性脑膜炎的患病率对于确定发病率较高的地理区域以及改进预防、控制和治疗策略至关重要。本研究旨在突出在理解致病因素和脆弱人群方面存在的差距。
本研究遵循系统评价与荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南，对2014年至2023年有关真菌性脑膜炎的文章进行系统评价。在纳入最终分析之前，使用乔安娜·布里格斯研究所（JBI）工具筛选相关文章的 eligibility 并进行质量检查。
本评价共纳入33篇文章。关于真菌性脑膜炎患病率的文章大多发表于2015年。开展研究数量最多的是美国、南部非洲国家和巴西。在84.8%的文章中， spp. 被确定为真菌性脑膜炎的主要病因。此外，艾滋病毒是最常伴发的疾病状况。
本系统评价概述了真菌性脑膜炎的全球流行病学，并强调了其重大负担。虽然在了解该疾病的流行病学方面已取得进展，但在早期诊断、获得有效治疗以及并发症管理方面仍存在重大挑战。持续开展研究并改善医疗资源的可及性对于减轻这种危及生命状况在全球的影响至关重要。
