Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus in 961,029 screening tests in southeastern China (Zhejiang Province) between 2011 and 2015

Human papillomavirus infection plays a key role in the development of cervical cancer. To establish a foundation for HPV-based screening and vaccination programs, we investigated the HPV prevalence and genotypic distributions in Chinese women from Zhejiang Province. Between 2011 and 2015, a total of 961,029 samples from 2021 clinical hospitals were tested HPV genotype by a PCR-based hybridization gene chip assay, and 443,890 samples were evaluated cervical cytology by liquid-based cytology analysis. Our results showed that the positive rate for HPV was 20.54%, which ranged from 28.72% to 17.81% and varied by year of recruitment. Age-specific prevalence showed a twopeak pattern, with the <= 20-year-old group presenting the highest HPV infection rate, followed by 61-70-year-old group. Overall, the most prevalent genotypes were HPV16, 52 and 58. Additionally, the odds ratios for the prevalence of the HR-HPV, LR-HPV and HPV-negative groups with abnormal cytology were 12.56, 3.21 and 0.06, respectively. Among genotypes, HPV 16 has been found to have the highest OR, followed by HPV58, 18, 52. Here, we present data regarding the prevalence and type distribution of HPV infection, which can serve as valuable reference to guide nationwide cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination programs.