Prevalence of Oropharyngeal Candidiasis and distribution of Candida species among People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The incidence of oropharyngeal candidiasis among people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Africa is on the rise. Oropharyngeal candidiasis is mainly caused by C. albicans; however, a shift in the etiology towards non- Candida albicans species is increasing. In addition, there are variations in the epidemiological distribution of Candida species causing oropharyngeal candidiasis among people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Africa. Objective: This review aimed to determine the prevalence of oropharyngeal candidiasis and the distribution of Candida species among people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Africa. Materials and Methods: This systematic review protocol was registered in the base PROSPERO database prior to its conduct (CRD42021254473). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocol guidelines (PRISMA-P) were followed for this study. The PubMed, Scopus and EMBASE databases were searched to identify published studies published between 1 st January 2000 and 8 th October 2022. The eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis and analyzed using a random effects model. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool for prevalence studies. Results: The database search yielded 370 titles from PubMed (n=192), EMBASE (n=162) and SCOPUS (n=16). Fourteen studies with a total of 3,863 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of oropharyngeal candidiasis was 49.0% (95% CI: 37% - 62%). A total of 2,688 Candida isolates were reported; approximately 76.6% (n=2,060) were C. albicans, and 21.7% (n=582) were non- C. albicans . Among the non- Candida albicans species, C. glabrata was the most common isolate (29.6%), followed by C. tropicalis (27.7%), C. krusei (17.0%), C. parapsilosis (8.1%) and C. dubliniensis (5.2%). Out of 14 studies, 7 (50.0%) had a low risk of bias, 5 (35.7%) had a moderate risk of bias, and 2 (14.3%) had a high risk of bias. Conclusion : Almost half of people living with HIV in Africa have oropharyngeal candidiasis, and C. albicans remains the most frequent cause of oropharyngeal candidiasis.