title: Human papillomavirus type-specific prevalence in the cervical cancer screening population of Czech women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)types has been recognized as a causal factor for the development of cervical cancer and a number of other malignancies. Today, vaccines against HPV, highly effective in the prevention of persistent infection and precancerous lesions, are available for the routine clinical practice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The data on the prevalence and type-specific HPV distribution in the population of each country are crucial for the surveillance of HPV type-specific prevalence at the onset of vaccination against HPV.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women attending a preventive gynecological examination who had no history of abnormal cytological finding and/or surgery for cervical lesions were enrolled. All samples were tested for the presence of HPV by High-Risk Hybrid Capture 2 (HR HC2) and by a modified PCR-reverse line blot assay with broad spectrum primers (BS-RLB).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cervical smears of 1393 women were analyzed. In 6.5% of women, atypical cytological findings were detected. Altogether, 28.3% (394/1393) of women were positive for any HPV type by BS-RLB, 18.2% (254/1393) by HR HC2, and 22.3% (310/1393) by BS-RLB for HR HPV types. In women with atypical findings the prevalence for HR and any HPV types were significantly higher than in women with normal cytological findings. Overall, 36 different HPV types were detected, with HPV 16 being the most prevalent (4.8%). HPV positivity decreased with age; the highest prevalence was 31.5% in the age group 21-25 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study subjects represent the real screening population. HPV prevalence in this population in the Czech Republic is higher than in other countries of Eastern Europe. Also the spectrum of the most prevalent HPV types differs from those reported by others but HPV 16 is, concordantly, the most prevalent type. Country-specific HPV type-specific prevalences provide baseline information which will enable to measure the impact of HPV vaccination in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Virology, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tachezy
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smahelova
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaspirkova
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salakova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013045:Species Specificity; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology*; D014611:Vaccination; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral