Co-Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus and Epstein Barr Virus in Healthy Blood Donors in Qatar

Introduction: Infections with human oncoviruses such as high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are globally prevalent in the adult population. Both viruses are strongly associated with several types of human carcinomas such as cervical, head and neck, nasopharyngeal and gastric. In the present study, we explored the prevalence of these two oncoviruses in the healthy population of Qatar. Methods: The study included 385 healthy blood donors that reflect diverse nationalities in the Qatari community (Qatar, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, and India). DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood and genotyping was done using PCR and nested-PCR targeting E6 and E7 as well as LMP1 genes of HPVs and EBV, respectively. Results: The age of participants (378 males and 7 females) ranged between 19 and 68 years (mean 37.12 ± 9.3 years). Our data indicate that 55% and 61% of the tested samples were HPVs and EBV positive, respectively. Moreover, we found that there was (40%) co-presence of both HPVs and EBV in our samples. The most common high-risk HPV types in Qatar included HPV 59 (55%), 31 (54%), 52 (49%), 51 (49%), 58 (47%) and 35 (46%). While, HPV 16 and 18 were detected in 38% and 36% of the samples, respectively. Notably, all samples showed multiple HPVs infections. Conclusion: Our study reveals for the first time a high prevalence of both EBV and HPVs among healthy individuals in Qatar. More significantly, most cases had multiple HPV types infection in addition to the co-presence of both viruses in a substantial proportion of the samples. Given the important possible cooperative role of these viruses in human carcinogenesis, preventive measures using available and upcoming vaccines are of paramount importance.