Prevalence of oral human papillomavirus infection among university students in Valencia, Spain

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection contributes to the pathogenesis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas. We estimated prevalence and six-month persistence of oral HPV infections among university students ages 18–25 years living in Valencia, Spain, during the 2012–2013 academic year. Participants provided oral rinse samples; HPV-positive subjects provided a follow-up sample. The study included 543 students; 70 (12.9%) women had received HPV vaccination. Prevalence among vaccinees and non-vaccinees were 10.0% (95% CI: 4.1–19.5%) and 6.8% (95% CI: 4.7–9.4%), respectively. All HPV infections among vaccinees were non-typeable genotypes; 59.4% of non-vaccinees had high-risk genotype infections. Follow-up samples were obtained from 36 participants; one vaccinee (whose specimen was non-typeable) and seven non-vaccinees were found to be HPV positive. Among non-vaccinees, six-month persistence was 10.3% (95% CI: 2.2–27.4%); all persistent infections were with high-risk genotypes. Our results, although subject to study limitations, may support the need to implement new public health strategies.