High rates of anal Merkel Cell Polyomavirus and HPV co-infection among people living with HIV

Abstract

Knowledge of Human Polyomavirus (HPyV) infection in the anal area and its association with sexually transmitted infections such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) remains limited. Therefore, anal specimens from 150 individuals of both sexes were analyzed for screening purposes. HPV DNA was found in 50.7% of cases, with a predominance of high-risk (HR) genotypes. HPyV DNA was found in 39.3% of samples, with Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) being the most common, with a higher viral load than JCPyV and BKPyV. In addition, MCPyV viral load increased in people living with HIV (PLWH) with HPV infection (p < 0.0001).