Objective: To investigate human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in the male genital tract and its risk factors in some rural areas of Jiangsu Province.
Methods: This study included 398 men from six rural areas in Jiangsu Province, whose female partners, based on the results of cervical cytological examination, were divided into a normal (n = 104), a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade Ⅰ (CIN-Ⅰ, n = 100), a CIN-Ⅱ (n = 95), and a CIN-Ⅲ group (n = 99). We examined the male subjects for genital warts and other lesions, collected urethral swab samples for HPV detection, and obtained their sociodemographic data by questionnaire investigation.
Results: No megascopic lesions were observed in the genitals of the 398 participants. The total prevalence rate of HPV infection was 11.31% and that of high-risk HPV was 8.54%. Logistic regression analysis showed that daily cleaning of the genitals significantly decreased the risk of HPV infection (OR = 3.030, P = 0.003).
Conclusions: There is a relatively high prevalence rate of recessive infection of genital HPV among the seemingly healthy males in the rural area of Jiangsu Province. Daily cleaning of the genitals may be a protective measure against HPV infection.