• AIDS
• cervical cancer
• HIV
• HPV genotypes
• Mozambique

Background: Women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have higher rates of concurrent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical dysplasia than HIV-uninfected women. The objective of our study was to explore the relation between HPV and HIV-1 in Mozambique and particularly to determine the prevalence of different HPV genotypes in a group of HIV-1-infected women and in a control group of HIV-uninfected women and to correlate these findings with cervical cytological results.
Methods: I performed a prospective, observational study involving HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women, from January to August 2008. The observation period was of 6 months.
Results: The study involved 191 participants: 141 HIV-infected and 50 HIV-uninfected women. HPV was found in 126/141 (89.4%) HIV-infected and in 33/50 (66%) HIV-uninfected subjects (p <0.001). The HPV types identified in HIV-infected subjects were HPV: 58 (12.1 %, p<001), 16 (10.7 %) 61 (8.4 %, p <0.05), 53 (7.9 %); the HPV types identified in HIV-uninfected subjects were: 53 (10.4 %), 6 (9.1%), 16 (9.1%), 18 (9.1%).
Conclusions: the HPV types identified are partially different from those more commonly identified in Western countries. It is necessary to improve screening for HPV and monitoring and treating programmes for SIL in HIV patients in Mozambique and in other sub-Saharan African countries.