Human papillomavirus infection in relation to mild dyskaryosis in conventional cervical cytology

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: To establish the prevalence and distribution of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in Slovene women with repeat mild dyskaryosis, and to evaluate three molecular methods for the detection of HPV that could be used as a complementary method to cervical cytology. METHODS: In this prospective study 148 women with three subsequent cervical cytologic tests within two years showing mild dyskaryosis were enrolled. HPV infection was determined using three molecular tests: Hybrid Capture II and two variants of polymerase chain reaction (PCR-PGMY11/PGMY09 and PCR-CPI/CPIIG). RESULTS: HPV was detected in 17 of the 45 women aged < or =30 years and in 21 of the 103 women aged >30 years (37.8% vs 20.4%, p = 0.04). The most common genotype was HPV 16 detected in eight (21.1%) women, the next were HPV 53 and HPV 51, each detected in five (13.2 %) women. The three molecular methods matched in 92.9%. CONCLUSION: Low prevalence of HPV infections indicates that cervical screening programmes in Slovenia are overburdened with mild dyskaryosis. Repeat cytology is not reliable; HPV testing might be useful as a complementary method.