A comparative study of cervical cytology, colposcopy and PCR for HPV in female sex workers in Singapore

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in a cohort of female sex workers in Singapore. HPV infection was diagnosed by clinical examination, Papanicolaou (Pap) smears, histology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). One hundred and eighty-seven female sex workers who came for their routine medical screening were enrolled into the study. PCR was positive for HPV in 27 (14.4%), 20 of these had a single HPV type detected, while 7 had multiple types of HPV detected. The most common HPV types identified were types 16, 58 and 18. In conclusion, HPV infection is moderately prevalent among sex workers as tested by PCR, but routine screening with Pap smears does not appear to be a sensitive method of diagnosis for HPV infection.