Prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus in Coquimbo, Chile

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main pathogen responsible of cervical cancer. The characterization of HPV genotypes in preneoplastic lesions and cervical cancer could establishes the effectiveness of the vaccination plan in the Chilean population. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HPV in women in the Coquimbo region.

A total of 1235 cervical samples from women aged 20-64 years old who attended gynecological check-ups from April 2023 to July 2024 were analyzed to detect HPV genotypes using qPCR.

The overall prevalence rate of HPV infection was 26.56 %, while the prevalence of HR-HPV in age groups G1 (20-29 years) and G2 (30-64 years) was 47.69 % and 24.07 %, respectively. The most prevalent genotypes of HPV infection among our entire population were HPV16, HPV51 and HPV 31. Single infection (74.70 %) was the main pattern of HPV infection observed in the entire group, followed by double infection (16.46 %) and multiple infection (8.84 %), which was similar in Group 2, with percentiles of 76.07 %, 15.79 % and 7.14 %, respectively. However, in Group 1 a higher frequency of multiple HPV infections was observed, with 16.13 %.

This HPV prevalence infections among women in the Coquimbo region appears to be higher than the reported in Chile. In the rest of country, HPV prevalence is likely underestimated. Molecular detection of 14 HR-HPV genotypes is important because it will not only help women avoid cervical cancer but could also inform the introduction of new vaccines targeting a broader spectrum of HR-HPV.