BACKGROUND: We assessed temporal trends in prevalent anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) without HIV who attended sexual health clinics in three U.S. cities during 2018-2024. METHODS: Residual anal specimens from MSM without HIV, aged 18-45 years, were tested for 28 HPV genotypes. Demographic information was obtained from clinic records. Trends in quadrivalent vaccine (4vHPV)-type prevalence and non-vaccine-type HPV prevalence were evaluated using Joinpoint regression, stratified by age group (18-26 and 27-45 years). Non-vaccine-type HPV prevalence was used as a measure of sexual exposure; these HPV types are not targeted by any available vaccine. Joinpoint regression fits a series of joined straight lines on a logarithmic scale to the trends in prevalence; trends were reported as annual percent change (APC). RESULTS: Among persons aged 18-26 years, 4vHPV-type prevalence declined from 23.7% in 2018-2019 to 13.4% in 2023-2024 (APC = -13.4%), while non-vaccine-type HPV prevalence had a slight but non-significant decline. Among persons aged 27-45 years, 4vHPV-type prevalence declined from 37.2% in 2018-2019 to 28.2% in 2023-2024 (APC = -5.6%), while non-vaccine-type HPV prevalence remained stable. CONCLUSIONS: Among MSM aged 18-26 and 27-45 years, there was a decline in 4vHPV-type prevalent anal infections during 2018-2024. There was little to no decline in non-vaccine-type HPV prevalence during the same time period, suggestive of unchanging sexual exposure to HPV. These data demonstrate the impact of HPV vaccine on anal HPV infections in MSM.Summary: During 2018-2024, vaccine-type anal HPV infection declined by 13.4% and 5.6% annually among 18-26-year-old and 27-45-year-old men who have sex with men, respectively.
DeSisto et al. (Mon,) studied this question.