2002 National STD Conference Media Release

5 March 2002

Abstract 354: Association Between MSM Behavior and the Seroprevalence of HPV-16 and HSV-2

F Xu¹, MR Sternberg¹, K Karem², E Unger², KM Stone¹, LE Markowitz¹

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for STDs and HIV infection. The seroprevalence of HSV-2 is high in MSM, but little is known about the epidemiology of HPV in men.

Objectives: To describe the seroprevalence of HSV-2 and HPV type 16 (HPV-16) infections in men who did and did not have sex with men.

Methods: Data were collected during a national representative survey (NHANES III) from 1988 to 1994. Interview data and antibody results for HSV-2 and HPV-16 were available for persons 17 to 59 years of age. Antibodies to HSV-2 were tested using a type-specific immunodot assay. HPV specific IgG was detected using an HPV-16 virus-like particle ELISA. MSM was defined as men who reported ever having a male sexual partner. All estimates were weighted to represent non-institutionalized US population.

Results: Eighty-three men (1.8%) reported having had sex with a man. Compared with other males, MSM were more likely to have ≥ 2 partners in the past year (40% vs 20%, p < 0.05), and to have ≥ 10 lifetime partners (65% vs 43%, p < 0.05). The seroprevalence of HPV-16 among MSM was 38%, almost 5 times of that in other men (8%) and 2 times of that in women (19%). The seroprevalence of HSV-2 was also higher in MSM than in other men (31% vs 18%), although the difference was not statistically significant. The lifetime number of sexual partners was a predictor for HPV-16 and HSV-2 infections in men. After adjusting for the number of sexual partners, race/ethnicity, and age, MSM behavior was a risk factor for HPV-16 infection (p < .001) but not for HSV-2 infection in men (p = .2)

Conclusions: MSM are at higher risk for HPV-16 and probably for HSV-2 infections. The transmission and epidemiology of HPV-16 in MSM may be different from that of HSV-2.

Implications for Program/Policy: The high seroprevalence of HSV-2 in MSM indicates the need for improved intervention for this population.

Implications for Research: The clinical implications of HPV-16 seropositivity in men are not known. Further studies on HPV are needed to understand the transmission and clinical complications of HPV infection in MSM.

¹Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; ²Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA