rss
Sex Transm Infect 2007;83:64-65 doi:10.1136/sti.2006.021279
  • HPV

Prevalence of serum antibodies to human papilloma virus in patients with genital ulcer disease in an urban population of Tanzania

  1. J Mbwana1,
  2. R Viscidi2,
  3. E Lyamuya3,
  4. F Mhalu3,
  5. G Chalamilla4,
  6. J-Å Liljeqvist1,
  7. T Lagergård1
  1. 1Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden
  2. 2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  3. 3Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  4. 4The Infectious Diseases Clinic, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  1. Correspondence to:
 Professor T Lagergård
 Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Box 435, S-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden; teresa.lagergard{at}microbio.gu.se
  • Accepted 1 June 2006
  • Published Online First 28 June 2006

Abstract

Background: The epidemiology of human papillomavirus (HPV) in Tanzania is largely unknown both in risk groups and in the general population.

Objective: To determine the cumulative seroprevalence of selected HPV types in order to evaluate exposure to HPV in urban Tanzania.

Method: In a cross-sectional study, sera of 200 patients of both sexes with genital ulcer disease (GUD) and sera of 60 male blood donors and 60 pregnant women were tested for antibodies to the oncogenic HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 51 and 52 using an ELISA based on virus-like particles (VLP).

Results: The overall seroprevalence of HPV types for all patients with GUD was 83% and 77% for women and men, respectively. For pregnant women and male blood donors, the corresponding percentages were 55% and 15%, respectively. The most common HPV types were 16, 18 and 52. Infection with multiple types was more than 10 and 5 times more frequent than infection with a single type 16 in patients with GUD and in pregnant women, respectively. The seroprevalence to HPV types 16, 18, 51 and 52 was considerably higher in HIV-positive patients with GUD than in HIV-negative patients.

Conclusions: Infections with the oncogenic HPV types 16, 18 and 52 are common among patients with GUD and pregnant women in urban Tanzania, emphasising the need for control, treatment and implementation of appropriate HPV vaccine programmes.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None declared.

  • Published Online First 28 June 2006

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF
  4. All versions of this article:
    1. sti.2006.021279v1
    2. 83/1/64 most recent

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.