The prevalence of human papillomavirus and bacterial vaginosis among young women in China: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV) is influenced by vaginal microenvironment disorders, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV). The objective of this study was to assess the epidemiology of HPV combined with BV prevalence among Chinese women aged 20–35 years. METHODS: A total of 2000 sexually active women aged 20–35 years voluntarily enrolled in this study and underwent a ThinPrep cytologic test and PCR-reverse dot blot human papillomavirus genotyping (PCR-RDB HPV test). BV was diagnosed if clue cells were observed (20% more than epithelial cells). RESULTS: The overall HPV infection rate in this population was 16.2% (324/2000). Compared with HPV-negative individuals, BV prevalence was higher in the High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) (5.9% vs. 3.1%, P < 0.001). BV and HPV-51, -52 infection were more commonly associated with each other. In patients with cervical lesions (≥ CIN 1), the BV prevalence rate was higher than in patients with negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) (11.9% vs. 3.8%, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: BV was found to be related to HPV-51, -52 infections and cervical lesions. To better manage HPV infected population, more attention should be paid to the prevention and proper treatment of BV.