High Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Types 56 and 70 Identified in the Native Populations of Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer is currently the third most common female cancer in Malaysia , with the human<br />papillomavirus (HPV) considered as one of the important contributory factors. This study was conducted to determine<br />HPV prevalence, its genotype distribution, and other potential risk factors among women in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah<br />in order to evaluate the likely efficacy of current HPV vaccines in the local population. Methods: A total of 240<br />cervical samples were collected and subjected to DNA extraction, PCR amplification using the MY09/MY11 primer<br />pair, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for HPV detection and genotyping. Sociodemographic,<br />clinical, and behavioural data were also collected via questionnaires. Results: The prevalence of HPV infection was<br />9.6%. The most common HPVs among 13 genotypes were high-risk HPV-56 (16.7%) and probable high-risk HPV-70<br />(16.7%) followed by HPV-16, -58, -53, -61, -33, -59, and -66 (in decreasing order of prevalence) including the rare<br />genotypes: HPV-62, -81, -82 and -84. Statistical analyses using logistic regression models showed that HPV infection<br />was significantly associated with employment (OR 4.94; CI 1.58-15.40) and education at secondary/high school level<br />(OR 0.13; CI 0.03-0.62). Conclusion: Distribution of HPV genotypes in Sabah indicated a high prevalence of HPV-56<br />and -70 which are among the rare HPV types in West Malaysia and merit consideration in future strategies for HPV<br />vaccination specifically for local Sabahan women.