COMPARISON OF DEVELOPMENT OF SERUM ANTIBODIES TO HPV16 AND HPV33 AND ACQUISITION OF CERVICAL HPV DNA AMONG SEXUALLY EXPERIENCED AND VIRGINAL YOUNG GIRLS - A LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY

Objectives: To study the importance of sexual activity and early coitu s debut on the risk for acquiring infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 or 33. Study Design: Ninety-eight healthy adolescent gir ls were followed up with consecutive interviews and donations of serum and cervical brush samples during 2 years. Results: Fourteen percent of sexually experienced girls had serum immunoglobulin G to HPV16 and/ or HPV33 capsids, and 14% also had cervical HPV16 or HPV33 DNA. Seropo sitivity for HPV correlated with detection of cervical HPV DNA. None o f the 36 girls without coital experience was seropositive or harbored cervical HPV DNA, Seropositivity for HPV was correlated strongly with the number of sexual partners: Odds ratio for >1 sexual partner was 16 .3 (P < 0.001), and for early coitus debut (younger than 17 years of a ge), it was 14.3 (P < 0.002). Conclusions: Both HPV serology and HPV D NA testing indicated that the number of sexual partners and earliness of coitus debut determined the risk for acquiring HPV infection and th at nonsexually transmitted infections are rare or nonexistent among ad olescent girls.