HPV patterns mapped across 73,828 people in Northeast China

A retrospective analysis of HPV genotyping results from 73,828 individuals tested between 2020 and 2024 in Northeast China has found that just over one in five carried the virus, with infection rates rising and falling in a distinctive two-peak pattern across the age range. The study, conducted by researchers at The First Hospital of Jilin University in Changchun together with colleagues from Jilin University, also linked infection patterns to cervical tissue findings and to the bacterial balance of the vagina, offering one of the larger regional portraits of human papillomavirus epidemiology in this part of China.

Overall HPV positivity stood at 20.83 percent, or 15,376 of the 73,828 people tested. The age distribution was bimodal, meaning infection clustered at two separate points in life rather than declining steadily with age. The highest prevalence appeared among participants younger than 25 years, at 34.44 percent, and a second peak emerged at 60 to 65 years, where 25.90 percent tested positive. The authors note that HPV prevalence and genotype distribution show substantial geographic heterogeneity across China, and the specific percentages here provide locally grounded figures for Northeast China.

Genotype identification revealed a clear hierarchy among the virus types circulating in the region. HPV16, HPV52, and HPV58 were the three most frequently detected genotypes. The study's background states that persistent high-risk HPV infection is a major etiological factor in cervical carcinogenesis, and HPV16, HPV52, and HPV58 were the three most frequently detected genotypes in this cohort.

Among the subset of participants for whom cervical histopathology was available, 8,755 women in total, the researchers examined how infection patterns related to tissue diagnosis. Single high-risk HPV infection differed significantly across the cervical histopathological categories, and it was most frequent in cervical cancer, where 57.81 percent of cases showed this pattern, a difference that reached statistical significance at P < 0.001. This finding is consistent with the study's stated background that persistent high-risk HPV infection is a major etiological factor in cervical carcinogenesis.

The analysis extended beyond cervical tissue to the vaginal microenvironment. Vaginal microecological assessments were available for 2,428 women, and HPV positivity differed significantly across the vaginal microecological categories, again with P < 0.001. The highest rate was observed in the bacterial vaginosis group, where 32.66 percent tested positive for HPV. In this dataset, HPV positivity was highest in the bacterial vaginosis group, and the authors state that these findings support further prospective investigation of the relationship between vaginal microecological alterations and HPV infection.

However, the genotype-level picture was more cautious. When the researchers applied false discovery rate correction, a statistical method that accounts for the many comparisons made when testing numerous HPV types against numerous microecological categories, no individual HPV genotype remained significantly associated with microecological category. This distinction matters because the study found an overall difference in HPV positivity across microecological categories, while no individual HPV genotype remained significantly associated with microecological category after FDR correction. The authors state that these findings support further prospective investigation of the relationship between vaginal microecological alterations and HPV infection.

The study’s methods relied on nonparametric and chi-squared tests to evaluate age-related differences, genotype distributions, infection patterns, and their associations with pathology and microecology. Because the design was retrospective, drawing on existing genotyping records rather than following participants forward in time, the findings describe associations within the tested population and cannot establish temporal or causal relationships between vaginal microbial states and HPV infection. The authors frame their conclusions accordingly, describing the work as regional epidemiological evidence for HPV surveillance and cervical cancer prevention planning.

The authors describe the findings as regional epidemiological evidence for HPV surveillance and cervical cancer prevention planning. The study found a bimodal age distribution, with the highest prevalence among participants younger than 25 years and a second peak at 60 to 65 years, and HPV16, HPV52, and HPV58 were the three most frequently detected genotypes. In the histopathological subset, single high-risk HPV infection differed significantly across cervical histopathological categories and was most frequent in cervical cancer, at 57.81 percent, with P < 0.001. The authors state that the microecological findings support further prospective investigation of the relationship between vaginal microecological alterations and HPV infection.

The research was published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology within the section on Clinical Infectious Diseases, with correspondence attributed to Yan Fang Jiang and Weihua Tong. The authors note that HPV prevalence and genotype distribution show substantial geographic heterogeneity across China, and this study provides region-specific epidemiological data for Northeast China. By supplying age-specific rates, genotype rankings, and pathology-linked infection patterns from a large regional cohort, the study provides regional epidemiological evidence for HPV surveillance and cervical cancer prevention planning.

Subject of Research: Age-specific HPV genotype distribution and its associations with cervical lesions and vaginal microecological status in Northeast China

Article Title: Age-specific HPV genotype distribution and associations with cervical lesions and vaginal microecological status in Northeast China: a retrospective study of 73,828 individuals

Article References: He, Y., Pan, Y., Sheng, Z., Liu, Y., Hao, S., Tong, W., & Jiang, Y. (2026). Age-specific HPV genotype distribution and associations with cervical lesions and vaginal microecological status in Northeast China: a retrospective study of 73,828 individuals. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 16, Article 1993128. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1993128

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1993128

Keywords: HPV, HPV16, HPV52, HPV58, cervical cancer, bacterial vaginosis, vaginal microecology, Northeast China, retrospective study, genotype distribution, cervical lesions, epidemiology