Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of High-risk Human Papilloma Virus Types Compared with Cervical Cytology

Introduction: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a well-known causative pathogen of cervical cancer. The distribution of HPV prevalence and genotypes differ between regions. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) and genotype distribution among patients with cervical cytology. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,571 women aged 17-91 years who presented to the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic of our hospital, between January 1, 2017, and July 30, 2019, were included. Samples were collected for cytology and transported to the Medical Microbiology Laboratory for HPV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test. Cervical specimens were investigated for the presence of hrHPV and genotyping of HPV using a commercial kit (Nuclear Laser Medicine S.r.l., Milano, Italy) by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Simultaneously, cytological examination was performed using conventional (Papanicolaou) method and interpreted according to the Bethesda system. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Of the 1,571 women with a mean age of 39.98 (±10.17) years, HPV DNA was negative in 972 (61.9%) patients, while 599 (38.1%) patients were positive for hrHPV. No significant difference was found between age groups in terms of HPV positivity (p=0.18). The most common hrHPV types detected were HPV16 (28.5%), HPV68 (18.7%), HPV51 (15.5%), HPV39 (15.4%), and HPV31 (13.4%), in descending order. Single HPV infections were found in 61.4% (368/599), while infections with multiple HPV genotypes were detected in 38.6% (231/599) of all cases. Conclusion: This study indicated that HPV infection is more prevalent than expected among women living in the central part of Turkey. Additionally, the high prevalence of non-vaccinable genotypes should be considered a regional difference, and the use of this knowledge for guidance in the selection and development prophylactic vaccines may lead to successful broader prevention.