title: Infection rate of Eperythrozoon spp. in Chinese population: a systematic review and meta-analysis since the first Chinese case reported in 1991.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Eperythrozoonosis is an important animal health problem worldwide, it not only has a major impact on the economic viability, but also makes a significant impact on public health issues. The present systemic review intends to collate all relevant published data to assess the burden of Eperythrozoon infection in Chinese population and discuss the implications of these findings for public health policy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A meta-analysis was conducted to review the published studies that reported Eperythrozoon spp. in Chinese population. Inclusion criteria comprised of the use of microscopic venous blood smear examination for Eperythrozoon detection and a detailed description of sampling techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four cross-sectional studies with 52,433 participants and 14,951 positive cases, within the range of China mainland, were included in the present analysis. The infection rate of Eperythrozoon varied from 0 to 97.29% with geographical and seasonal variations, people with mild infection intensity contributed the major part (68.93%). The infection rates were highest in the children and adolescents group, significantly increased risk of Eperythrozoon infection was found among herdsmen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study raises awareness about the human eperythrozoonosis in China, which is a newly emerging zoonosis. The majority of Eperythrozoon infection intensity was asymptomatic mild infection. The infection rate of Eperythrozoon in Chinese population varied by geographical region, season, age and occupation. These factors need to be considered when conducting health education campaigns and comparing the surveillance results from different studies.
authors: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China. dshuang@mail.cmu.edu.cn
authors: De-Sheng
authors: DS
authors: Huang
authors: Peng
authors: P
authors: Guan
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wu
authors: Tie-Feng
authors: TF
authors: Shen
authors: He-Ling
authors: HL
authors: Liu
authors: Shuang
authors: S
authors: Cao
authors: Hao
authors: H
authors: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology