Detection of human papilloma virus (HPV) in tonsils of children undergoing tonsillectomy at Muhimbili national hospital

Background: The Human papillomavirus (HPV) related tonsillar carcinoma is skyrocketing worldwide. It affects people at younger age usually without prior history of alcohol and tobacco use. The persistence of high risk HPV tonsillar infection in early in childhood may progress to tonsillar carcinoma. Parent HPV risk factors increases the chances of HPV vertical transmission in children. Given high prevalence of oropharyngeal carcinoma in Tanzania, little is known about the prevalence of HPV in tonsils of children and associated maternal HPV risk factors. This study aimed at detecting high risk HPV in tonsils of children undergoing tonsillectomy.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive hospital-based cross sectional study was carried out from December, 2020 to May, 2021 at the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology and Pathology at Muhimbili National Hospital, and Ifakara Health Institute laboratory at Bagamoyo. It included admitted patients aged 2-12 years old scheduled for routine tonsillectomy, and their mothers who completed a questionnaire designed to assess risk factors to HPV infection. The tonsillar specimens were collected, fixed, then HPV Deoxyribonucleic acid extracted, amplified and detected using Anyplex HPV assays. Data were entered on SPSS 23 and Fischer exact test was used to assess association.
Results: Out of 50 tonsillar specimen, the HPV DNA were detected in 4 (8%). The relationship of maternal risk factors; education level, age at delivery, number of sexual partners and mode of delivery was not statistically significant with HPV positive tonsils in children
Conclusion: The 8% proportion of HPV DNA pediatric tonsils signifies that there is detectable high risk HPV in pediatric population that needs further larger and more powered studies