“Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Human Papillomavirus Among Women in Selected Hospitals of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria”
Abstract: Cervical cancer, primarily caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection, ranks as the second most common cancer worldwide. HPV infection is the leading sexually transmitted viral infection globally, affecting approximately 75% of sexually active women and men during their lifetimes. The close association between HPV infection and cervical cancer has been well-established, with HPV being detected in 99.7% of cervical cancer cases.
This research aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of HPV infection among women attending selected hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. A total of 501 female volunteers aged 15 to 64 years were screened using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). HPV DNA was extracted and identified using PCR with consensus primer sets MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+. Phylogenetic analysis was performed with CLUSTALW on UniproUgene software.
Data from questionnaires were analyzed using Chi-square (ᵡ2) at a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of 0.05, with statistical analysis conducted using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.
The overall prevalence of HPV infection in the study was found to be 10.98%. The highest prevalence of HPV was observed among women aged 35 to 44 years (4.80%), while the lowest prevalence was among women aged 15 to 24 years (0.20%). Married women showed a higher infection rate (7.98%) compared to single, divorced, or widowed women. Civil servants exhibited a higher prevalence of HPV infection (5.60%) compared to farmers and individuals in other occupations. Women with tertiary education recorded a higher infection rate (7.90%) compared to those with lower levels of education. Several demographic factors and risk factors, including age group, educational status, marital status, HIV status, and number of sexual partners, showed significant associations with HPV infection.
Nine HPV types (HPV-6, 16, 18, 31, 58, 66, 70, 72, and 81) were detected in the study, with HPV-70 being the most predominant (26.67%). The phylogenetic tree constructed using 15 isolates from this study and 45 reference strains from NCBI data revealed that HPV-6 clustered with an isolate from Iran, while HPV-18 clustered with an isolate from Bayelsa, Nigeria. Mutation was also detected in HPV-6 and HPV-18 strains isolated in the study.
The study highlights the importance of increasing surveillance among females at risk of cervical cancer in the study area, given the presence of highly oncogenic strains with a high tendency to transform into malignancy. Additionally, there is a need to intensify sexual behavior education and raise awareness about HPV to reduce the spread of infection in the study area.
“Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Human Papillomavirus Among Women in Selected Hospitals of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria”