Human papillomavirus infection: low-risk and high-risk genotypes in women in Catania, Sicily.
BACKGROUND
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been strongly and consistently associated with cervical carcinoma and its cytologic precursors, such as squamous intraepithelial lesions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with the aim of estimating the prevalence of cervical HPV infection in women attending a service of colposcopy in Catania, Eastern Sicily, Italy.


METHODS
The prevalence of type-specific HPV was examined in women with negative colposcopic results and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 1, 2, or 3, with the aim of providing some cross-sectional figures on the local epidemiology of HPV infection.


RESULTS
Human papillomavirus DNA was found in 62.1% of women with negative colposcopic results and in 73.2% with positive colposcopic results. Among high-risk types, a predominance of HPV-16 (51.5% of infected women) was shown followed by HPV-56 (29.7%). An age-related pattern was described with a peak in HPV prevalence among women younger than 25 years, followed by the expected decline in prevalence and a second characteristic peak in the perimenopausal or postmenopausal years, useful to design future control strategies.


CONCLUSIONS
The age-related pattern of HPV prevalence and the presence of uncommon high-risk genotypes and their role in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer need to be addressed by specific epidemiologic studies to design large-scale screening programs and multivalent vaccine strategies.
Agodi
Antonella
A
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 87, Catania, Italy. agodia@unict.it
Barchitta
Martina
M
La Rosa
Nadia
N
Cipresso
Rosalba
R
Guarnaccia
Mariella
M
Caruso
Melania
M
Castiglione
Maria Grazia
MG
Ettore
Giuseppe
G
Travali
Salvatore
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D003127:Colposcopy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012802:Sicily / Q000453:epidemiology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D055815:Young Adult; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology