Prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV infection among 214,715 women from Southern China, 2012–2018: baseline measures prior to mass HPV vaccination

Abstract

Background The epidemiology on the human papillomavirus (HPV) among females in Southern China is not well-established. Baseline data on the prevalence of HPV infection in China prior to mass prophylactic HPV vaccination would be useful. Thus, this study aims to determine the type-specific HPV prevalence and distribution among females from Southern China prior to mass HPV vaccination. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study employing 214,715 women attending ChenZhou NO.1 People’s Hospital for cervical screening during 2012–2018 was conducted prior to widespread HPV vaccination. HPV genotype was detected using nucleic acid molecular diversion hybridization tests. The overall prevalence, age-specific prevalence, type distribution, and annual trend were analyzed. Results The overall HPV prevalence was 18.71% (95% confidence interval [CI], 18.55–18.88%) among Southern China females. During 2012–2018, the prevalence of HPV infection showed a downward tendency, from 21.63% (95% CI, 21.07–22.20%) in 2012 to 18.75% (95% CI, 18.35–19.16%) in 2018. Age-specific HPV distribution displayed a peak at young women aged less than 21 years (33.11, 95% CI, 31.13–35.15%), 20.07% (95% CI, 19.70–20.44%) among women aged 21–30 years, 17.29% (95% CI, 17.01–17.57%) among women aged 31–40 years, 17.23% (95% CI, 16.95–17.51%) among women aged 41–50 years, 21.65% (95% CI, 21.11–22.20%) among women aged 51–60 years, and 25.95% (95% CI, 24.86–27.07%) among women aged over 60 years. Of the 21 subtypes identified, the top three prevalent high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes were HPV52 (5.12%; 95% CI, 21.11–22.20%), − 16 (2.96%; 95% CI, 2.89–3.03%), and − 58 (2.51%; 95% CI, 2.44–2.58%); the predominant low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) genotypes were HPV81 (1.86%; 95%CI, 1.80–1.92%) and − 6 (0.69%; 95% CI, 0.66–0.73%) respectively. Incidence of HR-HPV only, LR-HPV only and mixed LR- and HR-HPV were 15.17, 2.07 and 1.47% respectively. Besides, single HPV infection accounted for 77.30% of all positive cases in this study. Conclusions This study highlights 1) a high prevalence of HPV infection among females with a decreasing tendency towards 2012–2018, especially for young women under the age of 21 prior to mass HPV vaccination; 2) HPV52, − 16 and − 58 were the predominant HPV genotypes, suggesting potential use of HPV vaccine covering these HPV genotypes in Southern China.

Prevalence and distribution of human papillomavirus genotypes among women attending gynecology clinics in northern Henan Province of China

“…The prevalence of HPV in northern Henan Province was lower than that reported in Shandong Province (28.4%) and Fujian Province (38.3%) [ 19 , 20 ], but higher than Yunnan Province (12.9%) and Shanxi Province (8.92%) [ 12 , 21 ]. The different HPV prevalence in northern Henan Province was expected and could have been due to the different economic conditions, living habits and customs, cultural diversity, sampling strategy, and the HPV detection methods [ 13 , 22 ]. According to the previous reports, the HPV infection rate ranges from 6.7 to 44.5% in China [ 23 ].…”

The prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus among women in Guangxi, southern China

“…The rate then generally declined from 18.35% in 2019 to 12.26% in 2021. Luo et al [ 14 ] showed that the HPV infection rate in southern China was trending down from 2012 to 2018, and that Xinjiang HPV infections peaked in 2014 [ 9 ]. It is worth noting that reported infection rates, and thus trends, may be affected by demographic factors (e.g., ethnicity and cultural diversity) and by technical factors, such as sampling strategies, equipment, methods, and the specificity and sensitivity of HPV detection analysis [ 9 , 13 – 15 ].…”

Prevalence and distribution of human papillomavirus genotypes among women in northern Henan Province of China

“…The prevalence of HPV varied greatly in different provinces of China. There have been some studies reported the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV in different provinces in China [10,11,12,13]. However, there are few reports on HPV prevalence in Henan Province.…”

“…HPV DNA ampli cation and genotyping were conducted using a commercial HPV genotyping kit for 37 HPV types, including 17 HR-HPV types (16,18,26,31,33,35,39,45,51,52,53,56,58,59,66,68,82) and 20 LR-HPV types (6,11,34,40,42,43,44,54,55,57,61,67,69,70,71,72,73,81,83,84). The kits have been authorized by the China Food and Drug Administration for clinical use.…”