Circumcision and penile human papillomavirus prevalence in human immunodeficiency virus-infected men: Heterosexual and men who have sex with men

Male circumcision is associated with a lower risk of penile human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uninfected men. Few studies have evaluated the role of male circumcision in penile HPV infection in HIV-infected men. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between male circumcision and the prevalence of penile HPV infection among HIV-infected men-both men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual men. Samples from 706 consecutive men included in the CARH-MEN cohort (overall 24% circumcised: 26% of MSM, 18% of heterosexual men) were examined by Multiplex-PCR. In the overall group (all HIV-infected men included), the prevalence of any penile HPV infection was 22% in circumcised men and 27% in uncircumcised men (OR=1.0, 95% CI 0.6-1.6, adjusted analysis). In the circumcised group the overall prevalence of HPV infection was 22% in MSM and 24% in the heterosexual men, whereas in the uncircumcised group the prevalence was 26% and 28%, respectively. The prevalence of high-risk HPV types tended to be lower in the circumcised MSM (14% vs 21%, OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.3-1.1, p0.088), but it was similar in the heterosexual men (18% in circumcised vs 20% in uncircumcised). These results suggest that male circumcision may be associated with a lower prevalence of oncogenic high-risk penile HPV infection in HIV-infected MSM. © 2012 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.