Think virginity prevents HPV? Not necessarily, says study

Preserving one's virginity doesn't necessarily prevent the sexually transmitted infection that can cause a number of cancers, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by Houston researchers, found many males who'd never engaged in sexual intercourse carried the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common infection spread through sexual activity. The researchers think the virus likely was transmitted by sexual activity that stopped short of intercourse.

"Finding HPV in this population was not entirely surprising, but it reinforces the point that HPV vaccination should not be thought of only in the context of penetrative sexual behavior," said Alan Nyitray, a study author and professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health.

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The researchers suggested hand-to-genital, limited genital-to-genital contact or oral sex probably caused the HPV transmission.

The study also found a rapid acquisition of HPV after males' sexual debut. More than 28 percent of those who began having sex during the study period acquired HPV within a year and 45.5 percent acquired it within two years. Researchers said such numbers reflect the highly infectious nature of the virus.

The researchers looked at the health records of 87 men who identified themselves as virgins in a study of more than 4,000 boys and men in Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Participants, whose cells were collected, were followed every six months between 2005 and 2009.

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The study is the first to find the incidence of HPV in male virgins. Previous studies have found the virus in female virgins.

An estimated 80 million in the U.S. have HPV, which is usually cleared by the immune system but causes most cervical cancers and some cancers of the anus and throat. Vaccines to prevent the infection, approved a decade ago, have been slow to catch on, though the latest statistics show 60 percent of teenagers 13 to 17 have now received one or more of the three doses. The vaccines have drawn opposition by some social conservatives who urge abstinence instead, arguing vaccination encourages premarital sex.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends girls and boys age 11 or 12 get two shots of the vaccine six to 12 months apart. Nyitray added that the vaccine is most effective when the immune system is maturing during puberty but still effective through age 26.

You can read an abstract of the study here.