HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC-ACID IN CERVIX ONLY DETECTED INGIRLS AFTER COITUS

In a prospective cohort study on the prevalence of HPV in a group of f emale Swedish students, we obtained repeated cytological specimens dur ing a period of 2 years, for cytological diagnosis and PCR detection o f HPV. The group comprised 98 girls, sampled between 15 and 17 years, and 82 of them completed the study. The girls were also followed every sixth month by a structured face-to-face interview regarding sexualit y. Only the sexually experienced girls harboured HPV-DNA in the cervix with a cumulative prevalence of 37% and HPV16 was the most common typ e encountered. Almost half of the infected girls were lacking any clin ical or subclinical signs of HPV infection. There was a positive corre lation between the presence of HPV and the number of coital partners. The time period since coitarche also had importance for the HPV detect ion rate.