Biologia Molecular: Acesso Aberto

Type-Specific HPV Concordance in a Group of Stable Sexual Partners from Bogota, Colombia

Abstract

Vargas H

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most important sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. However, little information is currently available about the patterns of infection among sexual partners. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize type-specific HPV genital infection positivity and concordance in a group of 25 male sexual partners of 25 women with cervical intraepithelial lesions. Overall, 56% of men and 80% of women were positive for at least one HPV type. The prevalent high risk viral type in both men and women was HPV-16, with frequencies of 21.4% and 25%, respectively. On the other hand, the correlation of infection among partners was 40% for HPV positivity and 28% for type-specific HPV concordance. These results confirm the high positivity of HPV infection in both women and men reported in the literature, and the existence of a type-specific concordance in stable couples, suggesting the important role of men as a viral reservoir that contributes not only to the transmission of HPV but also to maintain the infection in their sexual partners.