Evaluation of anogenital human papillomavirus infection in asymptomatic men from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ABSTRACT

Infection by human papillomavirus (HPV) is among the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. However, there are still gaps in the knowledge regarding the natural history of HPV infection in men. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HPV infection in penile swab samples, derived from a clinically asymptomatic male population. For this purpose, 261 samples were collected between January 2011 and July 2013 in different institutions in the city of Rio de Janeiro. These samples were collected from the glans, corona, frenulum and coronal sulcus of the penis. Viral identification was made through generic and type-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction, and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism techniques. Prevalence of HPV infection was 16.5% (43 subjects). The most prevalent HPV type was HPV6 (34.9%), followed by HPV16 (23.3%), HPV11 (16.3%), HPV45 (9.3%) and HPV58 (2.3%). Hence, infection was associated with low-risk oncogenic types in 53.7% of the studied individuals, while high-risk oncogenic types were detected in 46.3%. Statistically significant results were found for the group of men who have sex with men, the group who have active anal intercourse, and subjects that lacked circumcision. After adjustments, sexual behavior and lack of circumcision remained as independent risk factors for HPV infection. We believe that these results may contribute to a clearer view about the circulation of HPV in the general male population, as well as to the identification of risk factors associated with the epidemiology of HPV infection in our state.