Prevalence of human papillomavirus types in women screened by cytology in Germany.

Incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer are higher in Germany than in other Western European countries. Type-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) distribution was investigated for the first time in Germany in an epidemiological study including 8,101 women. Women above the age of 30 years, self-referring for cervical cancer screening, were enrolled in two study centers in Hannover (Northern Germany) and Tubingen (Southern Germany). Participants were screened by the Pap smear and the hybrid capture 2 (HC2) test using the high-risk probe. All samples that were positive by the HC2 test were genotyped using the prototype PGMY09/11 PCR line blot assay. Most women in the study population h…