Identification of Common Bacterial Pathogens Causing Skin Lesions and Their Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns in Children and Adults in the Indian Subcontinent: A Scoping Review Protocol

Background Skin and Soft tissue infections (SSTIs) have become a global public health threat especially in the Indian context. Secondary complications from untreated skin lesions makes the patient life miserable and results in serious adverse effects. The main purpose of this scoping review is to identify the common bacterial pathogens causing SSTIs in the Indian subcontinent. Methods This scoping review adheres to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. The search strategy and screening follow the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS) checklist, and the review will be reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The initial search set will follow the keyword such as ‘bacteria’, ‘microbial susceptibility’ and ‘South Asia’. Based on the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, literature search will be carried out at the Cochrane library, PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science databases, relevant regional databases and other grey literature will also be searched to cover maximum information. The data extraction and synthesis will be carried out by the researchers independently and the results will be summarised narratively. Discussion The present scoping review seeks to address this gap by synthesizing evidence on the common bacterial pathogens causing SSTIs in children and adults across the Indian subcontinent and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles. By contextualizing these findings, the review aims to inform region-specific empirical guidelines, ultimately enhancing clinical decision-making and improving patient outcomes in managing SSTIs in South Asia. Scoping review Registration This research has been registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) (https://osf.io/xve49).