Prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in a cohort of young women in Delhi, India

Abstract

Introduction: HPV is strongly associated with cervical cancer and is highly prevalent in sexually active women. In Indian women, it affects nearly 132,000 and kills 76,000 annually. Geographical variations in the epidemiological aspects of HPV such as incidence, prevalence, age and type distribution are seen and knowledge of these variables in a region‐specific context is necessary for designing effective interventional strategies.Objective: To determine the prevalence of HPV infection and associated genotypes in cervical samples in Northern India.Methodology: 800 exfoliated cervical swab samples were collected from unscreened married women aged 16–24 years. HPV testing was done by Hybrid Capture assay 2 and PCR using PGMY L1 consensus primers. HPV genotyping was done for positive samples by Reverse Line blot array.Results: HPV DNA was detected in 69 (8.6%) samples. In HPV positive samples, type 16 was seen in 36.2% and HPV 51 and 59, 13% each. A single HPV type was found in 40 (58%) cases and mixed infection seen in 29 (42%).Conclusions: Multiple high‐risk HPV infections were most prevalent in young women and HPV‐16 was the dominant type. Etiologic role and persistence are being studied by doing 6 monthly follow up. HPV incidence, prevalence and type can give an indication of the natural history of HPV infection in the younger age group. This study was supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.