Study of carcinogenesis risks in different variants of coinfection with human papilloma virus and other sexually transmitted infection agents

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are prevalent worldwide and pose a significant challenge to national healthcare systems. Human papillomavirus (HPV) annually causes over 600,000 cases and 350,000 deaths from cervical cancer (CC). Coinfections with HPV and other STIs often potentiate the development of dysplastic processes and CC. The role of STI and HPV coinfection in carcinogenesis and the impact of multiple HPV infections on the development of CC have been poorly studied.
Aim of the study: to assess the prevalence and risks of carcinogenesis in various variants of coinfection with human papillomavirus and other sexually transmitted infection agents. Materials and methods. A total of 9,310 HPV-positive women with STIs and/or other diseases were examined. Detection of 14 HPV genotypes was performed using PCR. The diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) was established based on extended colposcopy and cytological examination. Methods: PCR, clinical, epidemiological, and statistical methods.
Results and discussion. In case of coinfection with STIs, the prevalence of HPV genotypes 16, 18, and 45 had statistically significant differences (32.0%, 9.7%, and 11.4%, respectively, p<0.001). The prevalence of HPV type 16 was characterized by an asymmetric distribution between STIs, demonstrating maximum values for urogenital candidiasis, anogenital warts, and chlamydial infection (40.7–36.8%) and lower values for anogenital herpes and cytomegalovirus infection (28.3–26.8%, p=0.02). The prevalence of CIN in the group of patients with STIs (11.8%) significantly exceeded the indicator in all examined patients (5.0%, p<0.001). The combination of STIs with a single HPV type was the most common coinfection (92%). The presence of multiple HPV infections during coinfection with STIs in patients in the study group did not increase the risk or severity of CIN (p>0.05).
Conclusion. The prevalence of HPV among patients with STIs (30.7%) was significantly higher than in the comparison group (p<0.001). In HPV and STI coinfections, a high prevalence of HPV type 16 (25–40.7%) and CIN of varying severity (3.7–16.7%) was observed. A potentially high risk of carcinogenesis cannot be excluded in cases of HPV coinfections with mycoureaplasmosis and anogenital herpes infection due to the significant prevalence of CIN (12.1–14.1%), comparable to the prevalence of CIN in chlamydial infection (16.7%, p>0.05). The obtained results are consistent with existing data on the negative impact of the association of HPV and chlamydial infection on the risk of neoplasia development and complement the existing knowledge base in terms of assessing the impact of HPV coinfections with mycoureaplasmosis, anogenital herpes, anogenital warts, as well as multiple HPV infections on the risk of carcinogenesis.

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