Human papillomaviruses in cervical specimens of women residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a hospital-based study

Mohammed N Al-Ahdal,Amal A Al-Hazzani,Nayyer Firdous,Ahmed A Al-Qahtani,Walaa K Al-Arnous,Mohamed Shoukri,Kamal S Elrady,Suhair M Abuzaid,Rehab Aliyan,Rabia Taseer,Marie F Bohol

doi:10.3855/jidc.4220

Abstract

Certain genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) are linked to cervical abnormalities. HPV DNA and genotype prevalence among women residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is investigated in this hospital-based study. Cervical specimens were taken from 519 subjects along with consent and demographic data. DNA was extracted and PCR was performed on all specimens using general primers. Low- and high-risk HPV genotypes were determined by reverse blot hybridization assay using specific probes. SPSS version 17 was used for the data analysis. Of 519 cervical specimens, 164 (31.6%) were positive for HPV DNA. There was a significant association between HPV positivity and abnormal cytology (p < 0.00001). Even though the HPV positivity was relatively high, the squamous intraepithelial lesions were minimal, with one low grade and one high grade case among those HPV DNA-positive specimens. Regardless of single or multiple infections per specimen, HPV-16 was found in 87.8%, followed by HPV-18 in 86%, and HPV-11 in 78.3%. Amplification technology showed that HPV is common among women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a strong association between HPV infection and cytological changes. HPV-16 was the most frequent genotype but had a low prevalence of cervical cancer.

Highlights

Certain genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) are linked to cervical abnormalities
A total of 519 cervical specimens were examined for the β-globin housekeeping gene by PCR
HPV causes persistent viral infections that are generally benign. Sometimes it proceeds to carcinogenesis if the infection was caused by a highrisk HPV genotype

Summary

Introduction

Certain genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) are linked to cervical abnormalities. HPV DNA and genotype prevalence among women residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is investigated in this hospital-based study. Results: Of 519 cervical specimens, 164 (31.6%) were positive for HPV DNA. Even though the HPV positivity was relatively high, the squamous intraepithelial lesions were minimal, with one low grade and one high grade case among those HPV DNA-positive specimens. Conclusions: Amplification technology showed that HPV is common among women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a strong association between HPV infection and cytological changes. HPV-16 was the most frequent genotype but had a low prevalence of cervical cancer. About 130 genotypes of HPV have been identified through sequencing the gene for the major capsid protein, L1. The worldwide HPV positivity rate among women with normal cervical cytology was reported to be 10.4%, even though some East African countries showed a prevalence of 31.6% [8]

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