Frequency of Human Papillomavirus Genotypes among Women with Genital Wart Using Molecular Hybridization Methods.

Background & objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide, which can lead to virus-related cancers. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of HPV genotypes in women with genital warts referred to available laboratories in Tehran by molecular hybridization method.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on the genital warts of 67 women aged 20-50, who were referred to the clinics of Afshar, Namad, Mani, and Al-Mohammed in Tehran province. Viral DNA was extracted using Add prep genomic DNA extraction kit, and genotyping was studied using HPV Direct Flow CHIP Kit. Data were analyzed by GraphPad Prism software.

Results: HPV was reported to be positive in all cases. The most common low-risk genotype involved was type 6, with 30 cases (44.77%), and the most common high-risk genotype involved was type 16, with 4 cases (5.97%) in the total population. Among the patients examined, there were 16 cases with multiple infections.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that low-risk genotypes may be responsible for majority of the genital warts. High-risk genotypes and simultaneous infection with several genotypes could also be common in genital wart samples. Therefore, controlling HPV infection is important, especially in patients with high-risk genotypes. HPV genotyping should be considered in diagnosis and prevention of HPV-related cancers.