Betapapillomaviruses in the anal canal of HIV positive and HIV negative men who have sex with men

Background: Betapapillomaviruses (beta-PV) are etiologically associated with epidermodysplasia verruciformis and a proportion of skin precancerous lesions and cancer, mainly in immunocompromised individuals. Objectives: The prevalence and persistence of anal beta-PV infection and beta-PV type distribution were determined in a cohort of men who have sex with men (MSM). A correlation with HIV-1 infection status and selected demographic and behavioral risk factors were additionally established. Study design: A total of 181 anal swabs (135 initial and 46 follow-up swabs) obtained from 135 Slovenian MSMs (17.0% HIV-1 positive) were tested for the presence of 25 different beta-PV types using Diassay RHA Kit Skin (beta) HPV assay and, if negative, with an in-house nested M-a/H-a PCR. Results: beta-PVs were detected in 881135(65.2%) initial anal swabs. Infection with multiple beta-PV types was found in 26 samples; the number of beta-PVs ranged from 2 to 9. A total of 29 distinct beta-PVs were detected: HPV-36 and HPV-38 were the most prevalent, followed by HPV-23, HPV-24, and HPV-93. HIV-1 positive status, promiscuity and use of alkyl nitrites were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of anal beta-PV infection. Three partial DNA sequences suggesting putative new HPV types were identified. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate and characterize beta-PV infections in the anal region. We showed that anal beta-PV infection is highly prevalent in the MSM population and that beta-PVs can establish persistent infection in the anal region for up to 4.8 years. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.