High prevalence of anal HPV in men who have sex with men

(HealthDay)—For men who have sex with men (MSM), the prevalence of anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is high, according to a study published online March 23 in HIV Medicine.

Corinna Sadlier, M.D., from St. James's Hospital in Dublin, and colleagues examined the molecular epidemiology of HPV infection in a cohort of 194 HIV-positive and HIV-negative MSM aged older than 18 years. Anal swabs were collected and anal HPV infection identified using a polymerase chain reaction assay.

The researchers detected HPV DNA in 113 individuals, of whom 42 percent had a high-risk (HR) HPV type. HR HPV types 16, 18, and 31 were detected in 27, 16, and 23 percent of samples, respectively. Seventeen percent of individuals had more than one type of HR HPV. The prevalence of HPV and HR HPV were higher in those aged older than 30 years (P = 0.001 and 0.028, respectively). Compared with HIV-negative individuals, HIV-positive participants were more likely to have any detectable HPV (77 versus 61 percent; P = 0.04); to have HR HPV 18 or 31 (P = 0.05 and 0.006, respectively); and to be infected with more than one type of HPV (31 versus 3 percent; P < 0.001).

"Emerging patterns of HPV-related disease strengthen the call for universal vaccination of boys and girls with consideration of catch-up and targeted vaccination of high-risk groups such as MSM and those with HIV infection," the authors write.

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