Genital human papillomavirus types in immunocompetent and immunodepressed women in northeast Italy: prevalence and cytomorphological correlations

Abstract

Objective: We evaluated the prevalence of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) types in correlation with cytomorphological findings in patients at different risk for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia living in northeast Italy.

Methods: Exfoliated cervicovaginal cells from 943 women, who were divided into three groups, were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction.

Results: Overall, HPV prevalence rates were 7%, 38%, and 52%, respectively. The single most frequent type was HPV 16 (18%), followed by types 6, 31, 53, 58, 61, and novel/unidentified (5-7%); other types had a frequency <5%. Infection with multiple types was present in 12%. In HIV-infected women, HPV infection was correlated with lower CD4 level and higher viral load; HGSILs were correlated only with a lower CD4 count, and no correlations were found for LGSILs.

Conclusions: HGSILs were associated with high-risk types, mainly HPV 16 (40%). LGSILs, instead, were associated with a broad spectrum of low-risk and high-risk types.