Advances in research on schistosomiasis and toxoplasmosis in China: A bibliometric analysis of Chinese academic journals published from 1980 to 2021

BACKGROUND: The scale-up of zoonoses prevention control and eradication in China, coupled with numerous academic articles in Chinese journals has led to the development of new tools and strategies aimed at further consolidating parasite control goals. As a result, there is a growing need for an up-to-date understanding of the research progress and prevention and control experience of parasitic diseases in China.

METHODS: To understand the research status of schistosomiasis and toxoplasmosis in China, academic articles published in Chinese journals from 1980 to 2021 were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang databases. The Bibliographic Items Co-occurrence Matrix Builder (BICOMB) software was used to extract and analyze the keyword frequencies. The 'K/A ratio' as the frequency of a keyword that occurred in all the articles within a certain time stage was calculated to compare the popularity of the same keyword in different time stages. Keyword co-occurrence network maps were constructed by VOSviewer software.

RESULTS: A total of 18,508 articles in the research field of Schistosoma and 13,289 articles in the field of Toxoplasma gondii were included. Results in both fields showed some similarities: the annual number of articles presented an increasing trend before entering the 21st century and decreased rapidly in recent years. Two opposite changing trends of keyword frequency could be observed in the K/A ratio analysis: the K/A ratios of 'Surveillance' and 'Infection' continuously increased over time, while those of 'Schistosoma mansoni' and 'Mesenteric lymph nodes' decreased. The diversification of keyword co-occurrence networks could be observed in the co-occurrence network maps.

CONCLUSIONS: This bibliometric analysis reveals trends in research themes in the fields of Schistosoma and Toxoplasma gondii from 1980 to 2021, presenting China's experience such as a high degree of government involvement and multidisciplinary participation in schistosomiasis and toxoplasmosis control and elimination.