Prevalence genotypes and distribution of human papillomavirus infection in women with abnormal cervical cytology in Catania, Italy

Objcctivc. HPVinfection has a strong regionalism, and HPV infection rates and distribution in different countries or regions are different; therefore, studying the distribution of HPV in a particular region provides important guidance for developing and applying vaccines. This study aimed to assess the distribution of different HPV types in women, with atypical cervical cytology, living in Catania. Material and Methods. We analyzed data from 359patients that had cytologically abnormal cervical samples during routine cervical cancer screening. The patients were from the outpatient services of the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics of the University Hospital "Policlinico Vittorio Emanuele" of Catania. Results. 171 (47.6%) was HR-HPV, 36 (10%) was LR-HPV and the remaining 152 (42,4%) was multiple infection caused by different HPV, variously combined. In the HR-HPV samples, the most prevalent genotypes were HPV 16 (24,5%), HPV31 (5,3%), HPV 18 (3,4%), HPV 56 (2,2%), HPV 58 (2,2%), HPV39 (1,7%) HPV45 (1,4%) HPV33 (1,4%) HPV 66 (1,4%), HPV 51(0,8%), HPV 59 (0,8%) HPV35 (0,8%), HPV52 (0,3%), HPV68 (0,3%), HPV 82 (0,3%). We calculated the odds ratio (OR) of having a viral infection caused by HPV 16. HPV 18. HPV3I, HPV33. HPV45. Conclusions. The most common HPV genotypes detected in most previous European studies were HPV 16 and 31 and in the USA tve- re HPV 16, 45 and 51. whereas the present study showed the most prevalent genotypes in our patients to be HPV 16, 31 and 18.