Abstract: Aim: - To determine the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection and to describe the pattern of HR-HPV genotypes among women attending for cervical cancer screening in Karnataka, India by using a PCR based assay. The main etiologic factor of cervical cancer is persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus. HPV-16 and HPV-18 are the most prevalent genotypes responsible for cervical cancer globally, the distribution of HR-HPV genotypes is geographically heterogeneous. Methods: - This study was conducted at Greenarray Genomics Research and Solutions Pvt. Ltd., on cervical samples received from multiple hospitals in Karnataka, India between 2020-2026. A total of 500 clinician-collected cervical samples were screened for HR-HPV using a validated PCR-based assay. Furthermore, the genotype distribution of the positive samples was analysed. Results: Of the 500 women screened, 16 were positive for HR-HPV with the overall prevalence of 3.2%. The most detected genotype was HPV-16 (5 cases), followed by HPV-66 (4 cases). HPV-18 and HPV-33 were each found in 2 cases and HPV-31 and HPV-58 were each found in 1 case and 1 case of co-infection with HPV 16,66. Conclusions: The prevalence of HR-HPV infection in the screened population had HPV-16 as the predominant genotype followed by HPV-66. These results underscore the need for continuous regional surveillance of HR-HPV genotype distribution and support the rationale for the inclusion of extended HPV genotyping in cervical cancer screening and prevention programs. Larger multicentric studies with cytological, histopathological and longitudinal clinical follow up are warranted to better understand the epidemiology and clinical significance of HR-HPV genotypes in Indian population.
Keywords: Human papillomavirus (HPV), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), HPV 16, HPV 18, HPV 66.
Title: Region-Specific HR-HPV Prevalence and Genotype Distribution in Karnataka, India: A Multicentre Study
Author: Sarjan Shah, Hema Divakar, Arti Krishnamurthy, Shailaja Talwade, Savithri A, Bharathi Rajshekhar, Jagruti Karande, Shruti Jawale, Preeti Arora
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
Vol. 14, Issue 1, April 2026 - September 2026
Page No: 489-491
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 17-July-2026
