The prevalence of nine human herpesviruses in urogenital samples from young women in Finland

Abstract

Background: Beyond herpes simplex virus (HSV), the pathogenic role and occurrence of other human herpesviruses (HHVs) in the genitourinary tract remain largely unclear. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and level of shedding of nine typical human-infecting herpesviruses in genitourinary specimens of young women. Methods: We investigated the prevalence and quantity of HHVs using qPCR in urogenital samples from 380 women participating in a community-randomized human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination trial and in a randomized trial on the effectiveness of Chlamydia trachomatis screening. Results: The prevalence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA was the most frequent finding (8.4% positive). Other herpesvirus DNA was detected less frequently: HHV-6B in 5.8%, cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 3.7%, HHV-7 in 1.6%, HSV-2 in 0.8%, and HSV-1 in 0.5% of the specimens. The varicella–zoster virus (VZV), HHV-6A, and Kaposi’s sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8) DNA were not detected in any of the samples. Additionally, the prevalence of EBV DNA was significantly higher among women who tested positive for C. trachomatis based on a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) compared to those who tested negative (11.3% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.049). Similarly, EBV DNA was detected more frequently in women with DNA from sexually transmitted microbes in their samples (C. trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, HPV, or HSV), with a prevalence of 11.4% compared to 4.0% (p = 0.0132). Conclusions: The increased prevalence of EBV DNA among young women with a sexually transmissible pathogen coinfection suggests more frequent shedding of EBV DNA among those with a sexually transmitted infection and likely higher sexual risk-taking behavior.