{
  "abstract": "Background Malaria and schistosomiasis are two major parasitic diseases that are co-endemic in many regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their frequent geographical overlap, the potential epidemiological patterns and potential interactions associated with Plasmodium–-Schistosoma co-infection remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to systematically assess the epidemiology of malaria–schistosomiasis co-infection and to quantify whether co-infections occur more frequently than expected under an assumption of independence between the two infections. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A total of 192 studies published between 1996 and 2023 were included in the qualitative synthesis, of which 59 studies involving 73,383 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratio (ORs) were estimated to compare observed and expected co-infection prevalence. Results The pooled analysis showed that Plasmodium-Schistosoma co-infection occurs more frequently than expected by chance (overall OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.02–1.40), despite substantial heterogeneity across studies (I2 = 89%). Reported co-infection prevalence ranged from 1.1% in Benin to 36.6% in Mali. School-age children and pregnant women were disproportionately affected. Subgroup analyses revealed no consistent differences according to sex or parasite species. Conclusions These findings indicate a non-random distribution of malaria-schistosomiasis co-infection in sub-Saharan Africa, consistent with epidemiological over-dispersion. Although the underlying biological and immunological mechanisms remain uncertain, the widespread co-occurrence of these parasites highlights the importance of integrated surveillance and control strategies that account for polyparasitism in endemic settings.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Célia Koellsch"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jérôme Boissier"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ronaldo de Carvalho Augusto"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8ayrr53z2bg0m.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s40249-026-01490-1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "8ayrr53z2bg0m",
  "issns": [
    "2095-5162",
    "2049-9957"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05467375v2",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sde"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Malaria Research and Control"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221197485",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05467375/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": "42855707",
  "published": "2026-10-09",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8ayrr53z2bg0m.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:57Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05467375",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05467375v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "hal:0.sde",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Over-dispersion in Malaria–Schistosoma Co-infection: Insights from a Meta-analytical Approach and Systematic Review",
  "title_text": "Over-dispersion in Malaria–Schistosoma Co-infection: Insights from a Meta-analytical Approach and Systematic Review",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8ayrr53z2bg0m",
  "venue": "Infectious Diseases of Poverty",
  "versions": []
}