Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of Human Papillomavirus Among Healthy Females in Beijing, China, 2016–2019

Hao Yu,1,2 Jie Yi,1 Ya-ling Dou,1 Yu Chen,1 Ling-jun Kong,1 Jie Wu1 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hepingli Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jie WuDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan Wangfujing, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 106 915 9701Email wujie_pumch@163.comObjective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, especially with high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes, is closely associated with cervical cancer. This study aimed to observe the epidemiological characteristics of HPV infection among healthy women in Beijing, China.Materials and Methods: Cervical specimens were collected from 29,436 healthy women, who underwent health check-ups in Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2016 and 2019. A commercial kit was used for the detection of 15 HR-HPV and two low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) genotypes.Results: A total of 3586 (12.18%) participants tested positive for HPV, 3467 of which were infected with HR-HPVs. The most prevalent genotypes were HPV52, 58, 16, 51, and 56. Moreover, while infection with a single genotype (9.84%) was more prevalent, HPV16+52 was the most common combination in those infected with multiple HPVs. Furthermore, the highest infection rate among age groups was in women aged < 25 years (20.92%). No significant difference in the prevalence was observed from 2016 to 2019. However, HPV incidence in Beijing was significantly different than that in all other areas in China, except for Zhengzhou (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Our findings could serve as potential reference for better understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of HPV infection in Beijing.Keywords: human papillomavirus, cervical cancer, prevalence, genotype