Presence of human papillomavirus in the buccal mucosa of blood donors

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the oral mucosa of blood donors (BD) and risk factors associated with HPV and oral cancer. Materials and methodsProspective cross-sectional study, population matched to BD from the National Cancer Institute, Mexico for HPV identification in oral cytological samples using the CLART® Human Papillomavirus 2 Kit (35 genotypes) and risk factors. ResultsOf 352 BD with signed informed consent, 285 were selected by simple randomization. The prevalence of oral HPV was 17.5% (95% CI 13–21.9%), the genotype was identified in 13 cases, with a total of 16 genotypes (10 high-risk), the most common being 16 and 84. Five cases had multiple infections, three with at least one high-risk type. Associations were found for marital status (OR 3.3) and educational level (OR-1.9). ConclusionsThe percentage of HPV-positive cases in blood donors with no risk practices was similar to that found in Spanish-speaking population studies in which at least one risk practice was described. The presence of other genotypes with high oncogenic risk and multitype infection, described as a marker of persistence of HPV infection, is highlighted.