Human papillomavirus DNA positivity and seropositivity in rural Chinese men and women: a population-based cross-sectional study

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 26343
• Main Authors: Liu, Fangfang, Deng, Qiuju, Zhang, Chanyuan, Pan, Yaqi, Liu, Ying, He, Zhonghu, Sun, Min, Liu, Mengfei, Li, Jingjing, Li, Xiang, Zhang, Chaoting, Hang, Dong, Ning, Tao, Guo, Chuanhai, Liang, Yongmei, Xu, Ruiping, Zhang, Lixin, Cai, Hong, Ke, Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 23.05.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/1; 45/23; 45/77; 631/67/1858; 692/4028/67/2195; Antibodies; Cross-sectional studies; Data processing; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA sequencing; Epidemiology; Human papillomavirus; Humanities and Social Sciences; Immunoglobulins; multidisciplinary; Polymerase chain reaction; Population studies; Population-based studies; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Serology; Sexual partners; Women
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep26343

Data on simultaneous analysis of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and serology and the correlations within a single general population are limited. Among 1603 men and 2187 women enrolled from rural China, serum antibodies against bacterially derived GST-L1 fusion proteins of HPV were assessed with multiplexed serology and HPV DNA was evaluated with PCR-based sequencing. Few subjects were dually positive to HPV DNA and serum antibodies for any HPV (6.6% of men and 3.1% of women). The proportion of men ever having been infected with any HPV (DNA and/or antibody positive) was higher than that of women (71.0% vs. 65.2%, P  < 0.001). Type-specific association was observed for genital HPV infection and HPV seropositivity among women but not among men. A positive correlation between the number of lifetime sexual partners and positivity for oncogenic HPV DNA and/or antibodies was found in men but was absent in women. Among 762 couples, the presence of HPV DNA and/or antibodies in one partner was positively associated with the identical HPV type in the other partner. These findings may reflect a site-specific natural course of HPV infection and further understanding of the epidemiology of HPV.