Prevalence of and risk factors for anal human papillomavirus infection in men who have sex with women: A cross-national study

Abstract

Background. Although the primary cause of anal cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the anal canal, little attention has been paid to the epidemiology of anal HPV infection in men who have sex with women (MSW). Methods. Exfoliated cells from the anal canal of 902 MSW in Brazil (São Paulo), Mexico (Cuernavaca), and the United States (Tampa) were tested for HPV DNA. Results. The prevalence of HPV infection in the anal canal (12.0%) was similar among MSW in each city (P = .77), whereas 7.0% had infection with oncogenic types. Men in Tampa had a 4-fold higher prevalence of infection with HPV type 16 (HPV-16) than that among men in São Paulo or Cuernavaca (P <1 year in duration, and who have a history of oral or anal sex with men were most likely to have an anal HPV infection. © 2010 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.