Abstract:
Different samples can be used for cervical screening, including Pap test or biopsy,
Liquid Based Cytology, Visual inspection using acetic acid or Lugol’s iodine, and HPV
testing using cervical brush. These methods require pelvic examination, which is
invasive and uncomfortable for patients. Therefore there is need to use urine which is
non-invasive, easy to collect and unbiased since it bypasses medical examination, sociocultural
and religious implications. The study aimed at determining genotyping diversity
and assessing the factors for HPV in urine from patients attending Special Treatment
Centre (STC) in Nairobi County. A laboratory based cross-sectional survey was
conducted on 222 consenting men and women aged 18-49 years (mean age 32 years;
SD=1.2). Participants were sampled using simple random sampling and structured
questionnaires were administered. Approximately 10 ml self-collected urine samples
were collected using 15ml sterile falcon tubes. Genomic DNA was extracted from 222
urine samples (45 from men (mean age 34 years; SD=2.73) and 177 from women (mean
age 31 years; SD=1.33) using Qiagen DNA blood mini kit and the presence of HPV
DNA was amplified using the L1 gene. Big dye terminator method of sequencing was
used to determine the HPV viral genotypes. High risk HPV genotypes detected among
females were: HPV-16 (10%) and 66 (7.5%), while low risk types were HPV 6 (27.5%),
followed by 81 (25%), 83 (10%), 11 (7.5%), 70 (7.5%) and 54 (2.5%). The prevalent
low-risk HPV type detected in males was HPV type 6 (75%) while HPV-58 (25%) was
the only high risk type in males. History of sexually transmitted infections was
significantly associated with HPV infection among females (P=0.002). The prevalence
of HPV was high from this population. There is need to monitor HPV types in
circulation since it is important for HPV vaccine development.
