A bibliometric analysis of the literature on Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma infections

Abstract

Background: Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma species are understudied opportunistic pathogens that infect humans, animals and plants. These infections are often asymptomatic, which, together with fastidious growth requirements, makes them challenging to detect. Aim: The review aimed to provide a bibliometric analysis of available literature to reflect and assess trends, progress and knowledge gaps in this field. Setting: This article is a literature review. Method: A bibliometric analysis of 19 486 documents from 1992 to 2022 was conducted using the Web of Science database and in-depth analyses on RStudio. Results: China and the United States produced a high number of publications and citations. South Africa, the first most-cited African country, contributed 685 publications, ranking 24th globally with 2031 citations. Veterinary Microbiology was the highest performing journal with 448 papers and 10 036 citations. The most frequent keywords were ‘infection’ and ‘Ureaplasma urealyticum’. Conclusion: Research on Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma infections has progressed over time, but mainly in developed countries. The restricted publications and moderate citations in South Africa suggest research gaps in understanding the true burden and impacts of these infections. Contribution: This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric overview of Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma infections and reports the global and local progress in this field. The overall moderate, steady growth highlights the need for broader international collaboration and expanded research efforts in low-resource countries to address existing research gaps. This expansion is essential, particularly in clinical research, for strengthening both surveillance and treatment guidelines.