Prevalence and genotypes identification of human papillomavirus infection in a population of South Italy.

Background: A limited number of human papillomavirus (HPV) types account for the majority of invasive cervical cancer cases.

Objectives: To assess, in a southern Italian region, where HPV infection had not yet been investigated, the prevalence of type-specific HPV infection.

Study Design: Multiplex PCR was used to test cervical specimens from 871 asymptomatic women.

Results: The HPV infection rate was 23.1%, with the highest prevalence being observed in women aged 20-30 years (32.6%). Type 16 was the most frequent HPV type detected either in mono-infected (39.8%) or in multi-infected (46.3%) women.

Conclusions: The HPV infection rate was higher than reported from other Italian areas. Our results further emphasise the importance of vaccinations to immunize females before they acquire HPV infection.