Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of Human Papillomavirus in a Population of Iranian Men

Human papillomavirus (HPV) often infects humans through sexual contact. Men are carriers of the HPV virus and inadvertently transmit the virus to their sexual partners while being asymptomatic. In many countries strategies are focused on controlling the virus in women and the role of men is ignored. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV infection and its common genotypes in men in order to facilitate designing and implementing national prevention programs.

In this cross-sectional study, PCR and hybridization methods were used to determine 37 different HPV genotypes. The participants included 188 men attending Central Laboratory of Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Mashhad Branch between autumn 2020 and winter 2021.

In this study, 56.9% of the total population were infected with at least one of the HPV genotypes. Overall, 26 different HPV high-risk and low-risk genotypes were identified. The most common low-risk genotypes were HPV6 (50.5%), 11 (15%), 42 and 91 (11.2%). The most common high-risk genotype was HPV66 (9.3%).

Men play an important role in transmitting the virus and are considered as the reservoir of HPV infection. The prevalence of HPV was high in current population, therefore, HPV screening in men can be very helpful in preventing the spread of infection.