ABSTRACT
"High risk" HPV types have different geographical distribution and evidence suggests their respective prevalence may vary in different areas and regions. An accurate description of high-risk HPV circulation is a key feature for the rational design of prevention and screening campaigns. A cross-sectional, virological study was conducted on adult Albanian women living either in the Tirana area or in the Duress prefecture. Clinical and gynecological evaluations were performed according to current standard criteria. HPV detection and typing were carried out by a combined MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+ PCR followed by direct sequencing of generated amplicons. Virological data were obtained from 402 out of 452 patients enrolled between January 2004 and December 2007. Sixty-one patients (15.1% of the cohort) were found to be infected with a genital HPV. As expected, viral prevalence was higher among women younger than 30 years of age (25.2%) in comparison to those aged 30 or older (13.6%). HPV 16 was found to be the most frequent type (41% of cases), followed by HPV 53 (7.2%), HPV 31 (5.8%), and HPV 18 (4.3%). HPV 81 and HPV 84 were the most prevalent low-risk types detected with prevalences of 11.6% and 5.8%, respectively. No differences were noted in any type-specific prevalence between young and mature women. The circulation of HPV types is far more complex than assumed generally. Detailed knowledge of HPV type circulating patterns in specific local geographical areas is essential for appropriate implementation of screening, prevention, and surveillance campaigns.
