title: Association between the human papillomavirus, bacterial vaginosis and cervicitis and the detection of abnormalities in cervical smears from teenage girls and young women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, bacterial vaginosis (BV), and cervicitis may play a role in the presence of cytological abnormalities in female adolescents and young women. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HPV, BV and cervicitis in female adolescents and young women and evaluate whether these conditions are associated with a finding of cytological abnormalities in cervical smears.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cervical smears were screened using the conventional method and HPV-DNA detection was performed by PGMY-PCR. BV was defined as ≥20% clue cells in cervical smears. Cervicitis was assessed by counting leukocytes in five non-adjacent microscopic fields at 1000× magnification. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study analyzed 251 samples, with cytological abnormalities being found in 9.5% (24/251). Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (50.0%) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (29.1%) were the most common findings. HPV, BV and cervicitis were found in 44.2% (111/251), 41.0% (103/251) and 83.2% (209/251) of cases, respectively. Of the variables investigated, BV and an abnormal cytological diagnosis were independently associated with HPV positivity. Cytological abnormalities were significantly associated with a finding of HPV and BV in the same woman, and also with a simultaneous finding of HPV, BV and cervicitis; however, the independent association of these combined variables did not remain significant in the multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BV and cytological abnormalities were independently associated with HPV infection in female adolescents and young women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Patology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Cesar Assis
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Caixeta
authors.affiliation: Department of Patology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andrea Alves
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Patology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kelly Deyse
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Segatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vera Aparecida
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Saddi
authors.affiliation: Department of Patology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosane Ribeiro
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Figueiredo Alves
authors.affiliation: Department of Patology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Megmar Aparecida
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: dos Santos Carneiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Patology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvia Helena
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Rabelo-Santos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D065309:Atypical Squamous Cells of the Cervix; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D065310:Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions of the Cervix / Q000453:epidemiology; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: HPV; adolescent girls; bacterial vaginosis; cervicitis; young adults