This site is intended for UK healthcare professionals
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
News

HPV16 and HPV18 prevalence among MSM in London

More than half of the men who have sex with men (MSM) attending a sexual health clinic in Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust had no evidence of a previous or current infection with either of the high-risk HPV types included in the quadrivalent vaccine, supporting opportunistic HPV vaccination of MSM at sexual health clinics, according to a study published in BMJ Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The cross-sectional study included MSM aged 18-40 years who attended the Mortimer Market Centre in London between October 2010 and July 2012. The prevalence of current and past infection was estimated by testing for HPV DNA in anogenital samples and for serum antibodies to HPV16 and HPV18.

The prevalence of HPV16 and HPV18 DNA was 13.2 per cent and 6.2 per cent, respectively.

Of 484 participants, 28.5 per cent (n=138) were seropositive for HPV16, 17.1 per cent (n=83) for HPV18 and 11.4 per cent (n=55) for both types. Around two-thirds of MSM (n=318; 65.7%) were seronegative for both HPV16 and HPV18.

A total of 279 MSM (57.6%) tested negative for both HPV16 and HPV18 serology. Only five MSM (1.0%) were seropositive and DNA positive for both HPV types.

The authors said it is encouraging to see that the majority of participants had no detectable HPV DNA and no serological evidence of exposure to HPV infection despite reporting high rates of sexual risk behaviours. The findings support the rationale for opportunistic HPV vaccination of MSM attending sexual health clinics, they said.


References


YOU MAY ALSO LIKE