IMPACT OF SEXUAL HABITS ON THE CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF MALE HPV INFECTION

A series of 199 male regular sexual partners of women attending an STD clinic for the examination and treatment of HPV-associated diseases w as examined by peniscopy, surgical biopsy and nucleic acid hybridizati on for the presence of clinical, histological and molecular markers pa thognomic of HPV infection. There was a 100% correlation between condy lomata acuminata and detection of HPV type 6 or 11 DNA. Papillary lesi ons displayed neither histological signs of HPV infection, nor did the y harbor HPV DNA (viral types 6, 11, 16, 18, 33) while 44.9% (22/49) o f acetowhite epithelia showed HPV-suggestive histological changes. Of the 19 analysed for HPV DNA, 15.8% (3/19) harbored HPV 6/11 and 16 DNA . Regular male and female sexual partners did not always harbor the sa me HPV types, showing that latent or occult infection and the sexual h abits of each individual play an important role in the clinical manife stations of HPV infection observed in sexual couples. The present data show that: i) the likelihood of developing a clinical HPV lesion was affected, to a large extent, by the previous sexual history and habits in the partners of women with flat condylomata, while partners of wom en with condylomata acuminata or CINs displayed a higher correlation w ith the current state of infection in their regular partner; ii) despi te the assessed infective state of their consorts, men with a low life time number of sexual partners seldom displayed HPV-associated acetowh itening. Prevalence of such lesions, however, increased significantly with an increase in the total number of sexual partners; iii) clinical assessment and evaluation of HPV-risk for inconspicuous penile lesion s in the male partner should be carried out not only on the basis of c linical and peniscopic appearance, but also considering the current st ate of infection in the regular partner and the sexual history and hab its of each individual.