The inter-relationship of herpes virus, papilloma 16/18 virus infection and Pap smear pathology in Israeli women.

A previous survey of the seroprevalence of the herpes virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in Israel provided us with an opportunity to study a) the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 in selected groups of women; b) the correlation between the infection with HSV-2, HPV-16/18 and Papanicolaou (PAP) pathology; and c) to identify groups of women who might benefit from routine PAP screening. Four different population groups of women aged 17-60 years were studied: groups 1 and 2 comprised healthy women government employees and kibbutz and moshav residents, respectively, and groups 3 and 4 comprised Jewish and non-Jewish women with gynecological complaints. In women without gynecological problems the prevalence of HPV-16/18 was 1.