Background: We report the first nationally representative prevalence data on genital human papillomavirus (HPV) in males in the United States, using findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 2013-2014.
Methods: Using penile swabs from males aged 14-59 years, we estimated the HPV DNA prevalence and prevalence ratios (PRs) with respect to sexual behaviors and demographic characteristics.
Results: The prevalence of any HPV was 42.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 38.3%-46.1%) and of high-risk (HR) HPV was 23.4% (95% CI, 21.3%-25.6%). Prevalence of any HPV was 12.5% in 14-19 year olds and was higher in older age groups, through ages 25-29 years, and then similar through age 59 years. After adjustment for age and race, any HPV prevalence was associated with lifetime number of sex partners (≥15 vs 1-2; PR, 3.27; 95% CI, 2.12-5.02) and past-year number of sex partners (≥2 vs 0; PR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.09-1.46). Comparisons of consecutively older age groups revealed that the prevalence of quadrivalent HPV vaccine types (4vHPV), types 6, 11, 16, and 18, was significantly higher only between ages 25-29 and 20-24 years (PR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.31-5.96), whereas the prevalence of other HPV types was significantly higher only between ages 20-24 and 14-19 years (PR, 3.39; 95% CI, 2.49-4.61).
Conclusions: Overall, 42.2% of US males aged 14-59 years have detectable genital HPV infections. Differences in the age-specific prevalence of 4vHPV types and non-4vHPV types suggest that the vaccination program has had an impact on the prevalence of HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 among males.
Keywords: Human papillomavirus; epidemiology.; herd immunity; sexually transmitted infections; vaccine impact.
Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2017. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.