Correlates of the spread of human papillomavirus infection

Knowledge of the correlates of human papillomavirus (HPV) seropositivity is of interest for planning of preventive measures and for evaluation of poss ible confounding in epidemiological studies. The epidemiological determinan ts for seropositivity for oncogenic and benign HPV types were assessed usin g a serosurvey of 275 healthy Swedish women, stratified by age and lifetime number of sexual partners, Seroprevalences were compared with 17 behaviora l variables obtained by interview and 3 laboratory-diagnosed microbiologica l exposures, In univariate analysis, history of gonorrhea and condylomatosi s, human herpesvirus type 8 and herpes simplex virus 2 seropositivities, li fetime number of sexual partners, and current partner's lifetime number of sexual partners were associated with oncogenic HPV seropositivity, Notewort hy lark of correlations included smoking habits and oral contraceptive use. In multivariate analysis, only the number of lifetime sexual partners [odd s ratio (OR), 8.7; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.3-22.6] and seropositivi ty for benign NPV types remained significant (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.6-5.3), Se ropositivity for benign HPV was primarily associated with condyloma history (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.2-10.8) and seropositivity for oncogenic HPV (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.6-5.2), An association with sexual history lost significance in the multivariate model. In conclusion, lifetime number of sexual partners i s the major determinant of acquisition of oncogenic HPV. By contrast, benig n HPV infection associates more strongly with condyloma history than with s exual history per se.