[Epidemiological investigation of human papillomavirus infection in men attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Hangzhou area].

Background: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in men attending a sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinic in Hangzhou area.
Methods: The enrolled individuals were men aged 18-70 years attending the STD clinic. Penile swabs were assessed for HPV DNA using polymerase chain reaction with the consensus primers MY09/11. The HPV genotypes of positive PCR products were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphisms and direct sequence analysis.
Results: Of 375 swabs collected, 305 (81.3%) yielded sufficient DNA for the subsequent HPV analysis. Among the 305 subjects, the prevalence of HPV was 13.8%. Low risk HPV types were found in 8.5% (26/305) of the enrolled individuals, high risk types were found in 4.3% (13/305) of the enrolled individuals, and multiple types were found in 1.0% (3/305) of participants. The prevalence of HPV infection was higher in participants from urban area than in those from rural area (P<0.05). The prevalence was also higher in those who had received less years of education (P<0.05) and those who had more sex partners (P<0.05).
Conclusion: HPV infection among men at high risk is not uncommon. The detection rate of HPV DNA was significantly related to some sociodemographic factors, such as residence, educational level and the number of sex partners.