Human papillomavirus correlates of high grade cervical dysplasia among HIV-Infected women at a major treatment centre in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Persistent high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection is higher among women living with HIV/AIDS thus increasing their risk for cervical cancer. We evaluated the virological and immunological correlates of cervical dysplasia in HIV-infected women. METHODS: A cohort of 220 consenting women attending the antiretroviral clinic of the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nigeria was tested for cervical human papilloma virus (HPV) infection using PCR. The prevalent HPV genotypes were determined by DNA sequencing. CD4+T count and type specific HPV was correlated with cervical cytology. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the data was done using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 (SPSS Inc, Illinois, USA) for analysis after validation. RESULTS: Overall HPV prevalence was 54.1% while the hrHPV prevalence was 35.9%. Premalignant and malignant lesions were observed among participants with CD4+T counts between 200-300/mm3. A statistically significant association was observed between cervical premalignant lesions and CD4+ count (X2=24.747, P value=0.001) as well as hrHPV infections (X2=46.800, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Risk stratification with HPV screening among HIV-infected women will help in early case management of cervical precancerous lesions.

Epidemiological patterns of cervical human papillomavirus infection among women presenting for cervical cancer screening in North-Eastern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan countries including Nigeria have the highest burden of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the world. Most studies on HPV surveillance in Nigeria were done in the southern part of the country. Geographical and socio-cultural diversity of Nigeria makes these data unlikely to be universally representative for the entire country. Northern Nigeria especially the North-East carries a higher prevalence of cervical cancer and many of its risk factors. The region may be harbouring a higher prevalence of HPV infection with a possibility of different genotypic distribution. This study was carried out to determine the burden and confirm the predominant HPV genotypes among women presenting for cervical cancer screening at the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe (FTHG), North-eastern, Nigeria. METHODS: The study was an observational hospital based cross sectional study among women who presented for cervical cancer screening in FTHG. A total of 209 consenting women were tested for cervical HPV infection using PCR. DNA sequencing was carried out on positive samples to determine the prevalent HPV genotypes. RESULTS: The prevalence of cervical HPV infection among the participants with mean age of 39.6 ± 10.4 years was 48.1 %. The five most predominant genotypes were 18, 16, 33, 31 and 35, with prevalence of 44.7 %, 13.2 %, 7.9 %, 5.3 % and 5.3 % respectively. Other genotypes observed were 38, 45, 56, 58, 82 and KC5. Multiple HPV infections were detected among 7.9 % of participants. Risk factors such as level of education (X (2) = 15.897; p = 0.007), age at sexual debut (X (2) = 6.916; p = 0.009), parity (X (2) = 23.767; p = 0.000), number of life time sexual partners (X (2) = 7.805; p = 0.005), age at first pregnancy (X (2) = 10.554; p = 0.005) and history of other malignancies (X (2) = 7.325; p = 0.007) were found to have a statistically significant association with HPV infection. CONCLUSION: This study identified a high burden of HPV infection in Northern Nigeria while also confirming HPV 18 and 16 as the most predominant genotypes. It further justifies the potential benefit of the currently available HPV vaccines in the area. A larger and community based study is however recommended for better representation of the area.

Apparent Rarity of Asymptomatic Herpes Cervicitis in a Woman with Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Device.

Infection with genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) remains a common viral sexually transmitted disease, often subclinical and a major worldwide problem of women of reproductive age group. Herpes cervicitis is an unusual presentation of Herpes simplex virus infection in females. The finding of herpes cervicitis on routine pap smear of an asymptomatic woman on Intrauterine contraceptive device still further supports the need for increased awareness on the possibility of Herpes simplex virus infection among women, particularly those on Intrauterine contraceptive device. The index case is a 28 years old Nigerian female who was referred to our Special Treatment Clinic on account of an abnormal pap smear cytology which was in keeping with Herpes cervicitis. There was no history of genital ulcer in this patient; however ELISA for HSV 2 IgM was positive in her. We therefore describe a case of herpes cervicitis in an asymptomatic woman on intrauterine contraceptive device. This case highlights to clinicians the need to be aware of the possibility of this association and to carry out relevant investigations so as to identify and treat these patients appropriately. Therefore, there is a need to put in place adequate public health intervention strategy to prevent genital herpes in women of reproductive age group with a view to preventing the possibility of congenital herpes in subsequent pregnancy.