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. 2022 Feb 1;225(3):422-430.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab390.

Effectiveness of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Against Penile HPV Infection in Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women

Rachel L Winer  1 , John Lin  1 , Troy D Querec  2 , Elizabeth R Unger  2 , Joshua E Stern  3 , Jessica M Rudd  4 , Matthew R Golden  5 , Fred Swanson  6 , Lauri E Markowitz  4 , Elissa Meites  4
Affiliations

Effectiveness of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Against Penile HPV Infection in Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women

Rachel L Winer et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: In the United States, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has been recommended since 2011 for boys aged 11-12 years, with catch-up vaccination recommended through age 26 years for previously unvaccinated men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: During 2016-2018, a cross-sectional study enrolled MSM and transgender women aged 18-26 years in Seattle, Washington. Participants submitted self-collected penile swab specimens for HPV genotyping. HPV vaccination history was self-reported. We compared HPV prevalence among vaccinated participants with that in participants with no or unknown vaccination history, using log-binomial regression to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios and confidence intervals.

Results: Among 687 participants, 348 (50.7%) self-reported ever receiving ≥1 HPV vaccine dose; the median age at first HPV vaccination was 21 years, and the median age at first sex, 17 years. Overall, the prevalence of penile quadrivalent HPV vaccine (4vHPV)-type HPV was similar in vaccinated participants (12.1%) and participants with no or unknown vaccination (15.6%) (adjusted prevalence ratio, 0.69 [95% confidence interval, .47-1.01]). However, the prevalence was significantly lower in participants vaccinated at age ≤18 years than in those with no of unknown vaccination (0.15 [.04-.62]), corresponding to a vaccine effectiveness of 85% against 4vHPV-type HPV.

Conclusions: Results suggest that HPV vaccination is effective in preventing penile HPV infections in young MSM when administered at age ≤18 years.

Keywords: papillomavirus infections; papillomavirus vaccines; sexual and gender minorities; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in penile swab specimens from 18–26-year-old transgender women and men who have sex with men, overall and by self-reported HPV vaccination history (Seattle, Washington, 2016–2018). Error bars show 95% confidence intervals. Abbreviations: 4vHPV, quadrivalent HPV vaccine; 9vHPV, nonavalent HPV vaccine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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