title: Prevalence and genotype identification of human papillomavirus in women undergoing voluntary cervical cancer screening in Molise, central Italy.
abstract: We examined the prevalence of HR- and LR-HPV by Linear Array genotyping test in 299 women aged 18-63 years who consecutively visited Molise Region main hospitals for routine Pap smear between February and August 2008. Ninety women were positive for any HPV (30.1%), and 66 for any HR-HPV (22.1%). The most prevalent HR-HPV types were HPV 16 (22.2% of all women with HPV infection), HPV 53 (14.4%), and HPV 66 (14.4%). HPV infections increased from 15.8% in the 18-20 years group to 50.0% in the 21-23 years group and then decreased to 9.1% in those aged 50 years or more (p=0.008). Multiple HPV infections were observed in 15.7% of the study sample (52.2% of all HPV positive). There is a significantly higher prevalence of multiple infections in 18-32 years group women (24.5%) compared with females aged 33 years or more (6.8%) (p<0.005). Current smokers were at increased risk of HPV infection (44.2% of HPV infections compared with 23.5% in never smokers, and 25.3% of multiple HPV infections compared with 11.3%; p=0.001). HR-HPV infections were higher in women never been pregnant (27.1% compared with 7.7%; p=0.001). Oral contraceptive use was completely unrelated to infection. Among the 122 women who had both cytological examination and HPV results, multiple HR-HPV types were found in 36.8% of those with abnormal cervical findings, and in 13.6% of those with normal cervical findings (p=0.05). The results of the present investigation provide further evidence for the notion that cervical HPV infection is more widespread than previously suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University of Molise, via De Sanctis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ripabelli
authors.forename: Guido M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Grasso
authors.forename: Ilenia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Del Riccio
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamburro
authors.forename: Michela L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sammarco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult