LOW CONCORDANCE OF GENITAL HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) LESIONS AND VIRAL TYPES IN HPV-INFECTED WOMEN AND THEIR MALE SEXUAL PARTNERS

Background and Objectives: To evaluate the concordance of genital huma n papillomavirus (HPV) lesions and viral types in HPV-infected women a nd their male sexual partners. Study Design: Examination of 270 consec utive women with abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) smear and their male part ners using colposcopy, peniscopy, surgical biopsy and in situ hybridiz ation (ISH). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used in male cases ne gative with ISH. Results: The highest HPV DNA detection rate in women was in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN III) lesions (96%), HPV 16 being the most frequent type. Of the males, 193 (71.5%) showed his tologically confirmed HPV infection, condyloma acuminata (23 cases) an d penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) lesions (20 cases) being inva riably ISH positive (87% and 80%, respectively). Subclinical flat lesi ons (113 cases) were mostly ISH negative (70.3%). Of the 270 couples t yped by ISH, both partners were positive in 66 (24.4%) cases, but only 15 (22.7%) of them had the same HPV type in their genital tract. By P CR, only seven new HPV DNA positive cases were detected among 77 men n egative by ISH. Conclusion: Although some association was seen between intraepithelial neoplasia and high-risk HPV types, the concordance of different HPV types between the sexual partners was extremely low. Th e female findings were not predictive in searching for the male partne rs with the high risk HPV types, either. HPV DNA detection rate in men seems to depend on morphology of the HPV lesions.