The association between sexually transmitted infections, human papillomavirus, and cervical cytology abnormalities among women in Greece.

Objective: To investigate the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the presence of cytological changes in the cervix in a cohort of sexually active women in Greece.
Methods: Cervical cytology testing and the molecular typing of HPV and other STIs were performed for 345 sexually active women aged between 18 and 45 years (mean 33.2±7.2years) visiting a gynaecology clinic for routine cervical screening. The association of HPV and STI detection with cytological findings was investigated.
Results: HPV was detected in 61 women (17.7%) and STIs in 82 (23.8%). Ureaplasma spp was the most frequently detected pathogen, which was found in 63 (18.2%) women, followed by Mycoplasma spp (21 women, 25.6%) and Chlamydia trachomatis (five women, 6.1%). HPV positivity only (with no co-presence of STI) was associated with an abnormal cytology (odds ratio 6.9, p<0.001), while women who were negative for both HPV and STIs had a higher probability of a normal cytology (odds ratio 0.36, p<0.01). Sixteen out of the 63 (25.4%) women who tested positive for Ureaplasma spp, harboured a high-risk HPV type (odds ratio 2.3, p=0.02).
Conclusions: In a population with a high prevalence of Ureaplasma spp, there was an association of this pathogen with high-risk HPV infection, a finding that needs further elucidation.
(Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)