O. Forslund et al., HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DNA IN URINE SAMPLES COMPARED WITH THAT IN SIMULTANEOUSLY COLLECTED URETHRA AND CERVIX SAMPLES, Journal of clinical microbiology, 31(8), 1993, pp. 1975-1979
A polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the occurrence of hum
an papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in urine samples compared with that in ure
thra and cervix samples simultaneously collected with brushes. Of 138
presumably healthy military conscripts, 12 (8%) had HPV DNA-positive u
rethra samples and 8 (5%) had HPV DNA-positive urine samples. Both the
urine and urethra cell samples of five men were positive, with identi
cal types found in the paired specimens. Seven had HPV DNA-positive ur
ethra samples only, and three had HPV DNA-positive urine samples only.
Five of 7 urethra samples from males and 11 of 12 urethra samples fro
m females, who were among patients consulting a clinic for adolescents
, were positive for HPV DNA. Among those patients whose urethras were
positive for HPV DNA, the corresponding urine samples of 3 of the 5 me
n and all the 11 women were also positive, with one or two HPV types b
eing in common within the paired samples. Among female patients referr
ed to a colposcopy clinic, 49% (241 of 489) of the cervical cell sampl
es and 38% (187 of 489) of the urine specimens were found to be HPV DN
A positive. Of the patients whose cervixes were positive for HPV DNA,
65% (158 of 241) of the simultaneously collected urine samples were al
so positive for HPV DNA. On the other hand, 84% (158 of 187) of the pa
tients with HPV DNA in their urine also had HPV DNA in their cervical
samples. Although not all individuals with genital HPV infections coul
d be identified as HPV positive by analysis of urine samples, at least
in epidemiological surveys in which invasive samples are difficult to
obtain, such as from children, analysis of urine could be an alternat
ive means of identifying HPV DNA.