Human papillomavirus infection among women attending health facilities in the Kingdom of Bahrain

To investigate the occurrence of human papillomavirus [HPV] infection and the associated risk factors in Bahrain's female population. This study was carried out between March to December 2004, which includes cervical scrapings for Pap smear and HPV-DNA testing using polymerase chain reaction[PCR] and restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP] analysis, obtained from 100 women attending the Gynecology Clinic at Salmaniya Medical Center and Sheikh Sabah Health Center in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We distributed questionnaires that include the sociodemographic data as well as information on risk factors such as smoking, parity, and the contraceptive used. Eleven women [11%] with normal cytology were HPV-positive. The RFLP analysis detected HPV-types 16, 18, 45, 62 and 53. Positive women were significantly older [43.3 +/- 10.1 years] than negatives [36.5 +/- 9.9 years; P=0.04], however, there was no difference in age of first sexual contact [positive: 18.1 +/- 5.7 years versus negative: 20.6 +/- 4.4 years]. Polygamy, smoking and hormonal contraception was not identified as risk factors, but positive women showed higher parity. In this study on HPV infection in Bahrain, the 11% positivity with high risk HPV types, in the presence of normal cytology suggests that in addition to the cervical cancer screening program, offer of HPV testing deserves consideration

Infection of human papillomavirus [HPV] and p53 over-expression in human female genital tract carcinoma

Inactivation of p53 gene products either by mutation or by complex formation with E6 oncoprotein encoded by high risk HPV appears to be a common event in cervical carcinogenesis. This study was designed to clarify this association in 41 primary cervical, 15 endometrial, 3 ovarian and one rectal carcinomas. Polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed presence of high risk HPV in 36[88%] cervical, 5 [33%] endometrial and none of ovarian and rectal carcinomas. HPV 16 was found in 14 cervical carcinomas, HPV 18 in 19 cervical and 2 endometrial carcinomas and HPV 33 in 28 cervical and 5 endometrial carcinomas. Expression of tumor suppressor protein p53 by using polyclonal antibody CM-I, was detected in 28 [68%]cervical, 7[47%] endometrial, 2 [66%] ovarian and one [100%] rectal carcinoma. Twenty six cervical and 3 endometrial carcinoma cases were positive for both high risk HPV and p53. We conclude that beside cervical carcinoma HPV infection is not uncommon in endometrial carcinoma and in our experimental design there is no inverse correlation between HPV infection and p53 over-expression in a variety of the tumors analysed in the present study