High frequency of alpha7-HPV in Colombian Caribbean coast women: cervical cancer screening analysis

SUMMARY Background Cervical cancer (CC) is a significant global public health concern, particularly in developing countries such as Colombia. The main risk factor involves high-risk HPV types (HR-HPV) infection, coupled with population-specific variables. The Caribbean region in Colombia lacks research on HR-HPV-type frequencies. Therefore, this study aims to establish the prevalence of type-specific HR-HPV and its association with sociodemographic factors among women undergoing cervical cytology screening. Methods A cross-sectional study involving voluntary women who provided informed consent and completed a questionnaire capturing sociodemographic, clinical, and sexual behavior information was conducted. All participants underwent cervical cytology and molecular analysis. Generic HPV detection employed three simultaneous PCRs (GP5+/6+, MY09/11, and PU1R/2 M), and positive samples were genotyped using the Optiplex HPV Genotyping kit. The analysis encompassed the 12 types of high-risk HPV (HR-HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, -35, -39, -45, -51, -52, -56, -58, and − 59). Frequencies were reported based on geographic subregions within the Córdoba department, and disparities were made between single and multiple infections. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were subjected to ordinal logistic regression, with statistical significance at a p-value < 0. 05. The statistical analyses utilized STATA 14® and R-Core Team-software. Results We included 450 women, mean age 40 (SD 11. 44). PCR analysis revealed 43% HPV-positive (n =192). GP5+/6+ detected the most positives at 26% (n =119), followed by PU1R/2 M at 22% (n = 100) and MY09/11 at 15% (n =69). Multiple infections occurred in 87. 3% (n =142), primarily 2 to 4 types (47. 37%, n =90). Dominant types were HPV-18 (15. 6%, n =61), HPV-16 (14. 9%, n =58), HPV-31 (13. 0%, n = 51), and HPV-45 (11. 5%, n =45). Logistic regression identified age above 60 as a risk for concurrent multiple types (OR=6. 10; 95% CI 1. 18–31. 63). Menopause was protective (OR=0. 31; 95% CI 0. 11–0. 89). Conclusions Our study reveals a notable prevalence of multiple (2–4) high-risk HPV infections among adult women engaged in CC detection initiatives. Predominantly, α7 species constitute the prevalent HR-viral types, with the Medio Sinú subregion showing elevated prevalence. Menopausal status confers protection against diverse HR-HPV infections. Nevertheless, advancing age, particularly beyond 60 years, is linked to an increased susceptibility to simultaneous infections by multiple HPV-types.