Preliminary research by University of Arizona scientists at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) suggests that almost 25% of heterosexual men test positive for a virus linked to cervical cancer in women, a surprisingly high percentage. The effects of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, are well documented in women; this study shows that sexually-active heterosexual men may be more likely to have anal HPV than was previously realized. The results might raise important issues about the prevalence and risk factors for anal HPV — the primary cause of anal cancer. Further studies that assess the persistence of anal HPV in heterosexual men are needed to explore this.
The analysis of anal HPV in heterosexual men was led by Alan Nyitray, a PhD student and research scientist in the UA Zuckerman College’s Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division. Robin Harris, PhD, MPH, an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH), is the principal investigator. The results, published in June in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, looked at anal human papillomavirus (HPV) in heterosexual men.
Image credits: The black and white portion of the image above shows an electron microscope image of HPV. Image from Wikipedia. The color portion of the image shows a 3D mathematical model of the HPV virus; from Shelly Bernardon, Purdue University..
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