Cervical human papillomavirus infection in Serbia: Risk factors, prevalence and genotype distribution in women with normal cervical cytology

Sexual behavioral and other risk factors and the prevalence of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are very important for the monitoring of HPV infection and cervical cancer prevention strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors, prevalence of cervical HPV infection and genotype distribution among asymptomatic young women with normal cytology in Serbia. A total of 204 consenting young women were enrolled in this study and interviewed about risk factors. The presence of HPV DNA was assessed using the PCR method. HPV genotypes were identified by direct sequencing. Cervical HPV infection was detected in 19.1% of women. Out of nine identified HPV genotypes, types 16 and 52 were the most frequent. A significant association was found only between the number of sexual partners and HPV positivity (p<0.05). The obtained results showed the high prevalence of high-risk HPV types among young women in Serbia. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175073]