Abstract
BackgroundHuman papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been divided into mucosal and cutaneous types according to their primary epithelial tissue tropism. However, recent studies showed the presence of several cutaneous types in mucosal lesions and healthy mucosa from different anatomical sites.MethodsHere, the HPV prevalence and type-specific distribution were assessed in a variety of mucosal samples from 435 individuals using a combination of two established broad-spectrum primer systems: Gamma-PV PCR and CUT PCR.ResultsOverall HPV prevalence in anal canal swabs, cervical cancer biopsies, genital warts and oral swabs was 85, 47, 62 and 4%, respectively. In anal canal swabs, Alpha-PVs were most frequently found (59%), followed by Gamma- (37%) and Beta-PVs (4%). The prevalence and persistence of HPV infection in the anal canal of 226 individuals were further explored. Overall HPV, Gamma-PVs and multiple HPV infections were significantly higher in men vs. women (p = 0.034, p = 0.027 and p = 0.003, respectively); multiple HPV infections were more common in individuals ≤40 years (p = 0.05), and significantly higher prevalence of Gamma-PVs and multiple HPV infections was observed in HIV-1-positive vs. HIV-1-negative individuals (p = 0.003 and p = 0.04, respectively). Out of 21 patients with follow-up anal swabs, only one persistent infection with the same type (HPV58) was detected.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that Gamma-PVs (except species Gamma-6) are ubiquitous viruses with dual muco-cutaneous tissue tropism. Anal canal Gamma-PV infections may be associated with sexual behavior and the host immune status. This study expands the knowledge on Gamma-PVs’ tissue tropism, providing valuable data on the characteristics of HPV infection in the anal canal.
Highlights
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been divided into mucosal and cutaneous types according to their primary epithelial tissue tropism
It should be noted that only five HPV types (HPV38, HPV133, HPV161, HPV135 and HPV180) were consistently simultaneously detected in the same samples by both primer systems
Four novel putative HPV types (EP26, EP27, EP28, EP29) were identified in this set of samples, all of them being found in anal canal swabs with the Gamma-PV PCR primer system (Table 1, Table S1)
Summary
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been divided into mucosal and cutaneous types according to their primary epithelial tissue tropism. Recent studies showed the presence of several cutaneous types in mucosal lesions and healthy mucosa from different anatomical sites. More than 320 different human papillomavirus (HPV) types have been identified according to phylogenetic relationships of their complete L1 gene sequences, within five genera of the Papillomaviridae family (Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma-, Mu- and Nu-PV) [1,2,3]. Several studies showed a high prevalence of Beta- and Gamma-PVs at several anatomical sites, different from sites in which they were originally identified, including cutaneous and mucosal lesions and healthy mucosa, suggesting their double, mucocutaneous tissue tropism, and adding more questions about their clinical importance [13,14,15]. Some Gamma-PV types, especially those belonging to the Gamma-6 species, have been detected in Alpha-PV-negative anogenital warts [23, 24] and cervical precancerous lesions [13, 17, 18, 25, 26]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
