Human Papillomavirus Prevalence and Genotype Distribution in Unvaccinated Women: A Gynaecology and Obstetrics Hospital-Based Retrospective Study in México

In countries with suboptimal vaccination coverage, human papillomavirus (HPV) genital infections remain a public health problem. Furthermore, the prevalence of specific HPV genotypes in unvaccinated women is uncertain. Therefore, this study aimed to retrospectively evaluate HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among unvaccinated women attending a gynaecology and obstetrics hospital in Mexico, and to establish potential associations between HPV infection and the different pathologies affecting unvaccinated women. A single-centre, retrospective analysis of 347 unvaccinated women who underwent gynaecological examination and had an HPV test was conducted. HPV genotypes in cervical cells were determined using the CLART HPV4 system, which can detect 35 HPV genotypes. Overall, 124 (35.73%) women tested positive for HPV, which included single- and multiple-genotype infections. Oncogenic, high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes were detected in 74.19% of the HPV-positive women. Ranked by prevalence, HPV59 was the most frequent, followed by HPV16, HPV39, HPV31, and HPV42. Out of the 11 HR-HPV genotypes identified, 6 are targeted by the nonavalent HPV vaccine. In conclusion, this study reports the prevalence of HPV infection among unvaccinated women attending a gynaecological and obstetric centre and demonstrates that HR-HPV genotypes are the most prevalent in this population. These data may facilitate the design of organised screening and vaccination programmes to reduce genital infection and cervical cancer burden in México.