Multiple human papillomavirus infections are highly prevalent in the anal canal of human immunodeficiency virus-positive men who have sex with men

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 671
• Main Authors: Méndez-Martínez, Rocío, Rivera-Martínez, Norma E, Crabtree-Ramírez, Brenda, Sierra-Madero, Juan G, Caro-Vega, Yanink, Galván, Silvia C, de León, David Cantú, García-Carrancá, Alejandro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 16.12.2014; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Anal Canal - virology; Analysis; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; Antiviral agents; Anus Neoplasms - virology; Cancer; Carcinoma in Situ - virology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - virology; Cervical cancer; Coinfection; DNA, Viral - analysis; Drug therapy; Health aspects; HIV; HIV (Viruses); HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Seropositivity; Homosexuality, Male; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Incidence; Male; Medical centers; Mexico; Middle Aged; Molecular Epidemiology; Oncology, Experimental; Papillomaviridae - genetics; Papillomaviridae - isolation & purification; Papillomavirus Infections - epidemiology; Papillomavirus Infections - virology; Prevalence; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); Prevention; Mexico
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-014-0671-4
• ISSN: 1471-2334

Anal cancer has become one of the most common non-AIDS-defined tumors among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-positive (HIV+) individuals, and a rise in its incidence among HIV+ Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) has been shown, despite the introduction of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections are highly prevalent among HIV+ MSM and recent studies have shown high rates of HPV-associated anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) and anal cancer among this population. In the present study we determined the prevalence and nature of HPV co-infections in the anal canal of 324 HIV+ MSM attending a high specialty medical center in Mexico City, DNA extraction and amplification with generic primers for HPV was performed, followed by detection of specific types and co-infections with INNO-Lipa, and identification of variants by amplification and sequencing of the E6 and LCR region of HPV 16. We found a very high prevalence of HPV infections among this cohort (86%), with more than one fourth of them (28%) positive for type 16. Among HPV16-positive patients, European variants were the most prevalent, followed by Asian-American ones. Among these individuals (HPV-16+), we identified co-infections with other 21 HPV types namely; 11, 51, 52, 6, 66, 68, 74, 18, 45, 35, 26, 44, 70, 53, 54, 82, 31, 33, 56, 58, 59. HIV+ MSM show a very high rate of HPV infections in the anal canal and those with type 16 exhibited a multiplicity of associated types. This study emphasizes the need for an early detection of HPV infections among HIV+ MSM in order to establish its utility to prevent anal neoplasia and cancer.