Join the trend 'infecting' the nation. Contract HPV

Right now, more than half of the sexually active female population has a virus living inside their cervix. Most of the time, it will not produce any symptoms to let them know it is there. This virus might go away. Or, it might stay for years -- contorting cells in abnormal patterns and causing cancer.\nAccording to a new study published in the Jan. 15, issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, four out of five sexually active adolescent females might be infected with a virus linked to cervical cancer and genital warts. This is more than previously thought. Researchers have found this virus is likely to infect a woman's body shortly after the onset of sexual activity.\nDuring the course of the 27-month study, clinicians collected an average of 41 cotton swabs from each of the 60 female participants containing cells from their cervixes and vaginas to test for the human papillomavirus, or HPV. The research, reported by Dr. Darron Brown and other colleagues at the IU School of Medicine, revealed that 49 out of 60 sexually active teenagers in the study became infected with one or more types of HPV. \nBesides highlighting the risk of sexual behaviors, the findings reemphasize the importance of regular cervical Pap smears to check for cancer and call for a focus on HPV prevention at an early age, Brown said. \n"If we're going to do anything to prevent infection, when does it have to be done?" Brown said. "Age 20? Age 25? How about age 10?"\nHPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, affecting more than half of the sexually active population, according to the American Social Health Association. And the Centers for Disease Control report that as many as 24 million Americans are currently infected with the virus. Effects of HPV infection in females range from no symptoms to genital warts to abnormal cell changes, which can eventually develop into cervical cancer if not treated. \nMales can also develop warts from HPV, but most of the time, males exhibit no symptoms from the virus, making it difficult to test. Even if a person exhibits no symptoms of the virus, it can still be passed to others through genital contact.\nBrown attributed the high prevalence of instances in which HPV turned up positive in tests to the frequency of examinations for the virus. While previous studies only collected samples every four to six months, during Brown's research, he collected samples every three months from clinics. He also required the participants to collect weekly samples on their own. Because some infections are only detectable for a few weeks, researchers were able to detect viruses that might have dropped below a measurable level if they had waited longer between tests. \nResearchers found that nearly 77 percent of participants, ages 14 to 17 years, were infected with a high-risk type of HPV at some point during the study, associated with an increased risk for cervical cancer. A smaller number, 57 percent, was infected with low-risk types, associated with genital warts, which can be treated but not cured, and minimal cell abnormalities. \nIn more than 80 percent of the cases, participants were infected with more than one type of HPV -- with the average participant infected with about five different types. \nDespite the prevalence of HPV infection, nine times out of 10 women will experience no symptoms from HPV, Brown said. In most cases, detectable traces of HPV eventually are lost during an average time span of eight months, said Dr. Robert Burk, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who has done numerous studies on the epidemiology of HPV, but was not involved in this study. Instead, the virus lies dormant below a detectable level, until other factors, most of which are not yet known, cause it to become active again. \nThis can lead to cancer-causing cell changes if left undetected. To detect any changes, Dr. Burk and others recommend those who are sexually active to get regular Pap smears. If abnormal cell changes associated with a high-risk strain of the virus are detected early by a Pap smear and treated, the risk for cervical cancer can be almost completely eliminated, he said. \nAbout one in eight Pap smears, out of a total of 4,000, show abnormal cell changes on the cervix typically associated with HPV at the IU Health Center each year, requiring follow-up observation or treatment, said Anne Reese, director of health and wellness education at IU. \nIf a person has had eight or more sex partners, their odds are almost 100 percent of having been infected by HPV, Brown said. \n"An HPV infection may never completely clear," Brown said. \nWomen can reduce their risk of cervical cancer by delaying their first intercourse, having fewer sexual partners, using condoms and getting routine Pap tests, according to the Mayo Clinic, an organization of medical experts.\nAlthough the study was viable, Burk cautions against applying the results to a larger population, because a small number of women were studied. The main point, he said, is that sex has risks. The results of the tests show that women need to be tested for the virus frequently to avoid complications. \n"The good news is that in the majority of individuals, HPV comes and goes," he said. "This has dramatic clinical significance. In previous years, women were being aggressively treated. Now, one needs aggressive follow-up, but not necessarily aggressive treatment. Since not everybody loses the virus, there is a true risk for developing cervical cancer."\nA vaccine to prevent HPV is currently being tested in large trials. Brown said it should be available within a few years. \nThe study was funded by the National Institute of Health. \n-- Contact Staff Writer \nHannah Schroder at hschrode@indiana.edu.