Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus in cervical lesions in Nanning, southern China

The distribution of HPV subtypes varies greatly worldwide. Data concerning HPV infection in cervical diseases are insufficient in Nanning, southern China. In the current study, 306 specimens of 372 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples were human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive (82.26%) detected with gene chips in Nanning, southern China. Nineteen of 24 different HPV genotypes were determined, including 15 high risk (HR) (HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, 73) and 4 low risk (LR) (HPV6, 11, 42, 43). Those over 45 accounted for the most frequent HPV prevalence of cervical carcinoma. In contrast, patients were infected with HPV at their earlier age with benign lesions. HPV16 was the most frequent subtype in the total cervical lesion population. While HPV11, a LR subtype, was the most common in condyloma acuminata (CA). The single HPV subtype infection was found in 257 cases (83.99%). Forty-nine patients (16.01%) had double/multiple infections involving mainly HPV-16 and 18. HPV infection was closely related to the cervical lesions in Nanning, southern China. With the deterioration of the cervical diseases, from chronic cervicitis, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I, CIN II, CIN III to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the positive HPV infection proportion remarkably increased. LR genotypes were correlated with CA, with HPV6 and 11 being the most common subtypes. HPV16, 18, 58, 52, 33 were the first five most frequent genotypes in HR types in Nanning, southern China. Our findings on the distribution and frequency of the HPV genotypes in Nanning population confirm the utility of the current available HPV vaccines, HPV16 and 18 being detected in 45.70% of cases in the investigated area. The rest most common subtypes including HPV58, 52 and 33 should be considered for the future vaccine production.