One of the most common cancers in women worldwide is cervical cancer, with death rates highest in lessdeveloped countries, including Thailand. This study was conducted to explore the prevalence of humanpapillomavirus (HPV) and its related cytological abnormalities among women attending cervical screeningclinics in Thailand using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). LBC specimens (ThinPrep®, Hologic, WestSussex, UK) were subjected to PCR of the E1 region to identify the most prevalent HPV types. Information onage and cytology grade was also collected. Among a total of 1,662 women, 29 different HPV types were foundand the overall HPV prevalence was 8.7%. HPV prevalence among the general population amounted to 7.8%.The following HPV types were identified: HPV16 (17.9%), HPV90 (16.6%) and HPV71 (10.3%). The rates ofother types were as follows; HPV66 (6.9%), HPV52 (6.2%), HPV34 (5.5%), HPV31 (5.3%), HPV42 (4.8%) andHPV39 (3.4%). HPV infection peaked in women aged around 20-39 years and thereafter gradually declined. Asexpected, HPV DNA can be found in normal cytology specimens. These results which elucidate HPV distributionin Thailand could be useful for vaccine development and the national cervical cancer prevention program.
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