Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Anal Human Papillomavirus Infection Among Young Healthy Women in Costa Rica

Background. Anal cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), yet little is known about anal HPV infection among healthy young women. Methods. A total of 2017 sexually active women in the control arm of an HPV-16/18 vaccine trial had a single anal specimen collected by a clinician at the 4-year study visit. Samples were tested for HPV by SPF10 PCR/DEIA/LiPA25, version 1. Results. A total of 4% of women had HPV-16, 22% had oncogenic HPV, and...