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Human papillomavirus infection in female sex workers in Lima, Peru
  1. Silvia M Montano1,4,5,
  2. Evelyn J Hsieh2,
  3. Martha Calderón3,
  4. Thanh G N Ton4,
  5. Eberth Quijano3,
  6. Vicky Solari3,
  7. Joseph R Zunt4,5,6,7
  1. 1US Naval Medical Research Center Detachment, Lima, Peru
  2. 2Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  3. 3Centro de Salud ‘Alberto Barton,’ Callao, Peru
  4. 4Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
  5. 5Department of Global Health, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
  6. 6Department of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
  7. 7Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Joseph R Zunt, Harborview Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Box 359775, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA; jzunt{at}u.washington.edu

Abstract

Objectives To determine the prevalence and risk factors for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in female sex workers (FSW) in Lima, Peru.

Methods Cross-sectional study of 87 FSW. Information regarding demographics, sex work practices, and genital and blood specimens was collected.

Results Forty-four (50.6%) of 87 FSW had HPV detected in cervical swabs. The prevalence of coinfection by two or more HPV types was 39.1%. Thirty-one (35.6%) were infected by at least one high-risk HPV type, representing 70.5% of women with HPV infection. HPV infection was associated with younger age but not with any demographic or sexual characteristics.

Conclusions Our study confirms the high prevalence of HPV infection in FSW reported by other groups and suggests that brothel-based FSW may be at lower risk for acquiring high-risk HPV infection.

  • Human papillomavirus
  • HPV
  • female sex workers
  • Peru
  • prostitution

https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.2010.043315

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    Footnotes

    • Funding NIH Fogarty International Center grants R03 TW007819 and RO1NS55627 to JRZ, University of Washington.

    • Competing interests None.

    • Ethics approval Ethics approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Washington and Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.