Prevalence And Correlates Of Beta- And Gamma-Human Papillomavirus Detection In Oral Samples From Mid-Adult Women

Background. Little is known about the epidemiology of beta and gamma human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in oral cavities of healthy women.Methods. We performed multiplex polymerase chain reaction analysis for detection of 46 beta-HPVs and 51 gamma-HPVs in stored oral rinse samples from healthy mid-adult women (age, 30-50 years). A total of 407 women were tested for beta-HPVs, and 310 were tested for gamma-HPVs. We used log-binomial regression to identify determinants of beta-HPV and gamma-HPV in separate models. Using paired fingernail data from a subset of 184 women, we also evaluated whether fingernail beta-HPV detection was associated with concurrent detection of the same type in the oral cavity.Results. Oral HPV prevalence was 20.6% for beta-HPV and 10.7% for gamma-HPV. In multivariate analysis, oral beta-HPV detection was associated with increasing age (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] per 5-year difference, 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.86) and a greater lifetime number of oral sex partners (aPR for reporting >= 6 vs 0-5 partners, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.01-4.20). In a separate model, concurrent detection of the same beta-HPV type in fingernails was strongly associated with oral beta-HPV detection (aPR, 31.44; 95% CI, 19.81-49.49). No significant determinants of gamma-HPV detection were identified.Conclusions. Our results suggest a sexual transmission route for beta-HPVs and support the hypothesis that fingers may serve as a source of transmission or autoinoculation of beta-HPVs to the oral cavity.