Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus among Korean males: Implications for vaccination strategies

초록

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) among Korean males and explore implications for targeted vaccination strategies. Materials and Methods: A total of 44,065 males underwent HPV testing between March 2014 and February 2022 using the AnyplexTM II HPV 28 system, detecting 19 high-risk (HR) and 9 low-risk (LR) HPV types. Additionally, data from 507 male patients at local clinic (2017-2022) were analyzed to compare genotype prevalence between those with (WAT group) and without (WAT X group) genital warts. Results: Overall HPV positivity was 59.1%. HPV 6 (33.3%) and HPV 11 (11.0%) were the most prevalent LR genotypes, while HPV 16 (5.2%) dominated HR infection. Multiple HPV genotype co-infection occurred in 49.3% of positive cases, with 11.3% involving multiple HR types. Younger males (teens, 20s) exhibited higher HR-HPV positivity, although total HPV positivity peaked in the 40s (60.1%). Non-9-valent HR genotypes (HPV 53, 51, 39, 66) accounted for 27.6%-35.0% of infections annually. At local clinic, HPV 43 was significantly associated with genital warts (p=0.017). Conclusions: These data support including males in national HPV vaccination strategies using the current 9-valent vaccine and underscore the need for ongoing genotype surveillance to monitor non-vaccine high-risk types and inform public health policy, and support inclusion of males in national HPV vaccination strategies using the current 9-valent vaccine.

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