We read with interest the paper recently published on your journal by Magaña-Contreras et al. [2015] examining the prevalence and the role of sexually transmitted pathogens associated with Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in cervical samples. However, since the authors were unable to differentiate Ureaplasma parvum (UP) from Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) in their study, we would like to supplement their observations with the data we collected about HPV-UP co-infection.In a series of 46 asymptomatic patients, who gave written informed consent, examined at the Dermatology Department of the University of Genoa, as part of a screening program on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), we have collected cervical samples, testing them for HPV and UP infection. A cytological evaluation of the samples was also performed.To collect the samples we used the ThinPrep liquidbased cytology preparation system and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 51, 52, 53, 58; liquidbased cytology slides were examined by a cytologist at the Galliera Hospital. Furthermore, we collected a second cervical swab that was analyzed with a multiplex-PCR for DNA detection of seven sexually transmitted bacterial pathogens, including UP.Overall, HPV infection was detected in 31 patients, 11 of them had high-risk HPV (HR-HPV). UU infection was detected in three patients: one of them had normal cytology, HPV infection, and no UP infection, two had CIN1 and UP-HPV co-infection.Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection was detected in three patients: one of them had normal cytology and UP-HPV co-infection, two had CIN1 and UP-HPV co-infection.Twenty-one patients were positive for UP: three of them (14%) were negative for HPV and eighteen (86%) were co-infected by UP and HPV. Of the 18 patients with UP and HPV co-infection only 2 (11%) had normal cytology whereas 16 (89%) had abnormal cytology, showing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 1 (CIN1) ( Table I).As a control group, we selected seven age-matched patients that had HPV infection but were negative for UP infection: four of them (57%) had normal cytology whereas three (43%) had abnormal cytology (CIN1).The age-matched control group was selected among the 25 UP negative patients. Excluding the 7 patients mentioned above, forming the control group, of the remaining 18, 12 were HPV negative and with normal cytology, 4 were HPV positive with a normal cytology, and 2 were HPV positive with CIN 1.Sixteen (89%) of the co-infected patients had CIN1 lesions while only 43% of the patients without UP co-infection had CIN1 lesions. We assessed the statistical significance between the two groups with the Fisher's exact test (two-tailed P-value ¼ 0.0324).HPV infection is a definite human carcinogen, but only few of the HPV infected population develop cancer, suggesting that other risk factors may play a promoting role. Other STIs can be significant in the carcinogenic pathway of HPV, increasing the risk of cancer and cervical intraepithelia...