Table 2.

Eligibility criteria.

Inclusion criteria for systematic review	Exclusion criteria for systematic review
Studies published from 1920 to 11 November 2015 were included in the search. Studies reporting on S. aureus or MRSA carriage from fecal/rectal/anal specimens from humans. Studies providing information on the prevalence of S. aureus or MRSA fecal carriage. Healthcare exposure data should include information on whether or not participants were: Hospitalized in the 12 months prior to screening nursing home residents, health care workers, or patients transferred from other hospitals or wards (McKinnell et al., 2013). Screened for S. aureus or MRSA fecal carriage within > or ≤48 hours of healthcare contact (Folden et al., 2005; Millar et al., 2007; Otter and French, 2011). Studies published in either English or French.	Studies screening for S. aureus or MRSA from samples other than feces/rectal swabs/anal swabs. Fecal samples studied for parasites or bacteria other than S. aureus. Articles reporting on the number of S. aureus or MRSA isolates detected from fecal specimens or on the number of fecal specimens positive for S. aureus or MRSA, but not providing information on the number of participants testing positive for S. aureus or MRSA fecal carriage. Studies not providing the necessary healthcare exposure data for participants (via the published article or via correspondence with the authors), in order to categorize participants into Healthy participants, Out-patients, In-patients and Healthcare personnel. Articles published in predatory journals (Beall, 2015). Articles not obtainable from the electronic databases, the University of Cape Town (UCT) library or the UCT inter-library loans.
Inclusion criteria for meta-analysis of proportions	Exclusion criteria for meta-analysis of proportions
Overall fecal carriage prevalence for S. aureus and/or MRSA must be available.	Studies providing fecal carriage rates for participants for which fecal carriage rates have previously been reported. Studies not providing information on the age at which participants were screened. Studies screening a pre-selected group of participants based on microbiological assessments. Studies for which MRSA was not confirmed using molecular methods.