Seroprevalences of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2, Five Oncogenic Human Papillomaviruses, and Chlamydia trachomatis in Katowice, Poland

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), human papillomaviruses (HPVs), and Chlamydia trachomatis are the most common pathogens causing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). There is limited information about the prevalences of these STIs in Poland. Here, we estimated the occurrence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against HSV-2, HPV, and C. trachomatis in 199 blood donors and 110 patients of both genders attending an STI clinic in Katowice in southern Poland. The seroprevalences of HSV-2 were 5% for blood donors and 14% in the STI cohort. The seroprevalences of the five potentially oncogenic HPV types 16, 18, 31, 35, and 51 were 15%, 7%, 5%, 5%, and 17%, respectively, in blood donors and 37%, 8%, 12%, 5%, and 21%, respectively, in the STI cohort. The majority of HPV-infected individuals showed antibodies against more than one type, i.e., had been infected with multiple HPV types. Anti-C. trachomatis IgG antibodies were detected in 6% of blood donors and 13% of individuals attending the STI clinic. The relatively high prevalence of HPV-51 may have implications for future vaccine programs, as the newly introduced HPV vaccines are based on the potentially oncogenic HPV types 16 and 18.Infections with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), human papillomavirus (HPV), and Chlamydia trachomatis are spread sexually, causing considerable morbidity and socioeconomic problems. A number of severe complications are associated with these sexually transmitted infections (STIs). HSV-2 infects the genital mucosa and establishes a life-long infection in sensory ganglia. HSV-2 is the most common cause of genital ulcers, and a strong association between HSV-2 infection and the AIDS epidemic has been described. Local HSV-2 reactivation enhances both HSV-2 and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission by increasing the number of HIV target cells in the genital mucosa, i.e., cervical immature dendritic cells and CD4 ϩ T cells (34). Furthermore, HSV suppressive therapy significantly reduces genital and plasma HIV-1 RNA levels in dually infected women (28). Seroepidemiological data from worldwide studies performed during the last decade have estimated the HSV-2 seroprevalence to range from 0% in children to more than 80% in selected populations such as STI cohorts in some African countries (14, 36). For Poland, data are scarce, but recently, the prevalence of HSV-2 infection was described to vary between 6.5% and 12% from randomly selected serum samples in four geographic regions in Poland, not including Katowice (37).HPV is the most commonly spread STI (40). Infection with oncogenic HPV types is the dominating cause of cervical cancer, which is globally the second most common cancer among women. There is great variation in the prevalence of HPV infection depending on different population-based factors such as age, gender, number of sexual partners, and geographic region. The oncogenic HPV-16 and HPV-18 are the bestdocumented types, with reported seroprevalences of 3% to 52% in adult populations worldwide (9,21,43). Most studies...

Immunoglobulin-Specific Responses to Chlamydia Elementary Bodies in Individuals with and at Risk for Genital Chlamydial Infection

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Cross-sectional study on the prevalence of HPV antibodies in the general population of the Czech Republic

“…To our knowledge, the only report on the HPV seroprevalence in this region are the study of Gorander et al 13 analysing the seroprevalence of five HR HPV types in 199 blood donors in Katowice, Poland, and our study from 199814 on the seroprevalence of HPV-1 and three HR HPV types in 450 serum samples from healthy subjects. Furthermore, to our knowledge, this is one of the two studies published to date showing the prevalence of antibodies specific for LR HPV-6 and -11 VLPs in children <10 years of age.…”

The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among Saudi women attending the infertility clinic in Central Saudi Arabia

“…This is in contrast to other studies that reported higher prevalence (6% and 8%) of C. trachomatis infection in healthy patients. 18 , 19 The association between Chlamydial infection and low abdominal pain among our patients may be a sign for PID since untreated pelvic infections can spread upward to the uterus and the fallopian tubes. The PID can be silent, or can cause symptoms such as abdominal and pelvic pain.…”