HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) INFECTION OF SEXUAL PARTNERS OF WOMEN PRESENTING CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections of the genital tract are the most prevalent sexually transmitted viruses worldwide. Oncogenic HPV types cause pre-malignant lesions that can progress to cervical carcinoma. In the male genital tract, most HPV infections are sub-clinical and associated with a vicious circle [stet] of treatment-reinfection of women. Nevertheless, HPV pathogenic processes are still poorly understood. The literature suggests that different HPV types can be found among sexual partners. In our study, we aimed to verify HPV infections in female patients as well as in their sexual partners, to test this hypothesis. The HPV DNA prevalence in women with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) was 92.5% compared with 25% for normal women, with a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). In male samples, the HPV DNA prevalence in partners from CIN women was 50% and for normal women partners, it was 17.5%. In the group of CIN women, we observed that 20 couples had HPV DNA in both partners. However, only 50% of the couples shared the same HPV type. In the group of normal women, only 6 couples were simultaneously infected by HPV, and from them only 33.3% had the same virus type. These results may be attributed to differences in local immunity and organization of the genital epithelia of each sex. On the other hand, female lesions would not be the result of re-infection by sexual partners, but rather a true recurrence of a latent infection. Finally, such 40% of agreement among all couples leads us to suggest a vicious circle [stet] of infectious processes, perpetuating HPV in the sexually active population. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17525/vrr.v13i1-2.20