The Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus between the Neonates and Their Mothers

The impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection on pregnancy is a major problem of medicine. The transmission of the virus from mother to fetus is a process yet unresolved. The immune response and changed hormonal status of pregnant women might facilitate infection. A research on the prevalence of HPV infection was conducted at the Clinic of Obstetrics, Medical University of Lublin (Poland). The studied group included 152 randomly selected women. The material was tested for the presence of HPV DNA by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The aim of the research was to assess the relation between HPV infections detected in the buccal smears of the neonates and the incidence of such infections in the cervical/buccal smears of their mothers. In the group of 152 infants HPV was found in 16 (10.53%). Among the cervical/buccal smears, HPV was isolated, respectively, in 24 (15.79%) and in 19 (12.5%) pregnant women. Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of HPV swabs from the newborns and the cervical/buccal smears of their mothers were found (p < 0.001). The identification of mothers in whose buccal smears HPV was detected can help develop a group of children who run a relatively significant risk of being infected.