Association of mycoplasma fermentans and the risk of HIV-1 infection: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported the association between Mycoplasma fermentans (M. fermentans) and the risk of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection, but the results were inconsistent. The present study aims to systematically review reported studies on M. fermentans and its association with HIV-1 infection, as well as to summarize the findings using a meta-analysis. METHODS: Studies meeting the inclusion criteria in the PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, and Chongqing VIP databases up to March 2019 were identified. Cochran Q and I statistics were used to assess heterogeneity. Additionally, pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and displayed by Forest plots. Also, the funnel plot, Begg test, and Egger test were used to evaluate potential publication bias. In addition, the source of heterogeneity was investigated by subgroup and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies comprising 1028 HIV-1-positive patients and 1298 controls were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. Our results indicated that M. fermentans could increase the risk of HIV-1 infection among humans (OR = 3.66, 95%CI 1.26-10.64). Subgroup analysis showed that the risk of HIV-1 infection associated with M. fermentans was, based on the geographical distribution, 1.19 (95%CI 0.33–4.33) in Europe, 2.83 (95%CI 0.94–8.52) in United States, 11.92 (95%CI 3.93–36.15) in Asia; based on the source of the sample, 2.97 (95%CI 0.89-9.95) in blood samples, 4.36 (95%CI 1.63–11.68) in urine samples; based on the detection method, 2.80 (95%CI 0.72–10.96) with the polymerase chain reaction method, 5.54 (95%CI 1.21–25.28) with other detection methods; based on the source of controls, 1.91 (95%CI 0.53–6.89) in sexually transmitted diseases individuals, and 8.25 (95%CI 2.16–31.60) in health individuals. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed evidence of the association between M. fermentans and HIV-1 infection. Considering the heterogeneity, further studies are warranted to understand the relationship between M. fermentans and HIV-1 infection.

• Population(s)
  • General HIV+ population
  • General HIV- population
• Co-infections
  • Other