Abstract
Mucosal Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) play a role in the development of a subset of head and neck cancers. Cutaneous HPVs are abundantly present in the oral cavity. The determinants of these infections have not been extensively investigated. We assessed the correlates of oral infection by alpha and beta and/or gamma HPVs in HIV-infected and uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM). Oral rinse-and-gargles were collected with a mouthwash. Alpha and beta/gamma HPVs were detected using the Linear Array HPV genotyping test and a multiplex PCR combined with Luminex technology, respectively. Multiple logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of oral HPV infection. Overall, 193 HIV-uninfected and 117 HIV-infected MSM were enrolled. Among HIV-infected MSM, the only determinant of alpha HPV infection was the number of lifetime oral sex partners (AOR: 8.26, 95% CI: 2.26–30.16). The strongest determinant of beta/gamma HPV infection was represented by practicing condomless receptive oral sex (AOR: 10.76, 95% CI: 1.56–74.17). Age was independently associated with alpha HPV infection in HIV-uninfected MSM. Beta/gamma HPV infection was not associated with sexual behavior in these subjects. In conclusion, predictors of oral infection differ between HIV-infected and uninfected MSM, as well as between alpha and beta/gamma HPVs.
Highlights
Analyzing a wide spectrum of socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics, the present study focused on investigating the correlates of oral infection by mucosal and cutaneous Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) separately for the two study groups
men who have sex with men (MSM), prevalent oral HPV infection showed a strong association with a higher number of recent oral sex partners [22]. These findings suggest a correlation between prevalent oral infection and oral sexual activity, but this can be revealed by different parameters of oral sexual behavior, related either to lifetime or recent exposure
We found that predictors of oral infection differ between HIV-infected and uninfected subjects, as well as between alpha and beta/gamma HPVs
Summary
A small group of mucosal Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) that belong to the alpha genus is involved in the etiology of oropharyngeal cancer. The HPV-attributable fraction globally amounts to 30% [1]. HPVs, mainly of the beta and gamma genera, are abundantly present in the oral cavity. The prevalence varies between 10 and 50% for beta HPVs [2,3,4,5,6], and is in the range of
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