Status of high-risk oncogenic human papillomavirus subtypes harbored in the prepuce of prepubertal boys.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes that are strongly related to cervical cancer are harbored in the prepuce of the circumcised tissue of prepubertal boys in the period just before active sexual life.

METHODS

The present study enrolled 30 healthy boys (age range 4-11 years, mean age 8.1 ± 1.6) who underwent a standard circumcision procedure, with hypospadias repair in 3 patients. All prepuceal samples were studied using real-time polymerase chain reaction and grouped according to HPV subtype prevalence as groups 1 (types 16 and 18), 2 (types 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58), and 3 (types 35, 39, 51, 56, 59, 66, and 68).

RESULTS

HPV DNA was reported in 25 (83.3%) of the 30 subjects. All samples showed a negative result for group 2. Although most of the positive findings were for group 3 (25 [83.3%] of 30), a positive result was reported for only 1 subject for group 1 (3.3%).

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study have shown that the prepuce harbored the rarest HPV types, including types 35, 39, 51, 56, 59, 66, and 68 in preadolescence boys with a high rate (83%). These findings are in contrast to the common knowledge of HPV prevalence in adults that points to the dominance of HPV subtypes 16 and 18.