Background: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most frequent etiological agent driving development of cervical cancer (CC); therefore typing and classifying the status of these infections are of great importance for treatment. The frequency of the various HPV types may change in relation to low-grade lesions and have the potential to cause more severe lesions. Objective: The purpose of this study was the identification and typing of HPV in a rural population in Mexico. Methods: Detection and typing were determined by PCR-RFLPs and confirmed by viral DNA sequencing. Results: HPV was detected in 17.28% of the samples, this was 3.58% higher than had been determined in a rural population in Central Mexico. Viral types 16, 18 and 52 were found most frequently. Analysis of all HPV-positive samples revealed that 14.3% had a single infection; 57.1% had a double infection; and 28.6% had a triple infection. Thus, 85.7% of positive cases presented with multiple infections with HPV16 being the most prevalent. Only the lifetime number of sexual partners was found to have an association with the colposcopic diagnoses (OR = 7.08; 95% CI: 1.68-29.8; p > 0.008). Conclusion: A higher frequency of multiple HPV infections was found among our test population compared to other rural populations in Durango and Central Mexico. HPV type 16 was the most frequent infection.
Keywords: HPV; multiple infections; single infections; uterine cervix.