Genetic Diversity of HPV 16 and HPV 18 Based on Partial Long Control Region in Iranian Women

Information-seeking Behavior of Iranian Young Adults (18-28 Years Old) Regarding HPV on Social Media: A Preventive Approach to HPV

Background

Health information-seeking behavior refers to individuals' targeted actions to satisfy their health information needs and search for relevant disease-related information. Nowadays, social media platforms provide a great opportunity for meeting health information needs and delivering preventive education regarding human papillomavirus (HPV). The purpose of this study is the information-seeking behavior of Iranian young adults (18-28 years old) regarding HPV on social media, a preventive approach to HPV.

Methods

The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2023 among Iranian boys and girls aged 18-28 years. A multistage cluster sampling method was used to select 3840 participants. The data collection tool was Longo's Health Information-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS software.

Results

The results showed that Iranian youth aged 18-28 were more inclined to seek information on social media about the transmission routes and preventive measures for HPV. The primary informational need regarding transmission was "I want to know the main route of HPV transmission is through vaginal and anal intercourse?", and regarding prevention, it was "Can condoms prevent HPV infection?" Additionally, the findings indicated that young individuals sought information about HPV after their first sexual encounter. Most of the information needs of the youth were fulfilled through YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp, mainly in video format. Approximately 85.10% of the youth were satisfied with the information obtained from social media. The results revealed a significant and positive relationship between the health information needs of young adults (18-28 years old) in the area of HPV and personal factors. Gender, age, marital status, education level, history of HPV infection, and engaging is unprotected extramarital sex were identified as significant influential factors on the level of information needs of young individuals, especially regarding HPV preventive measures (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Health authorities and disease control and prevention centers need to harness the potential of social media in meeting the informational needs of youth and providing education and awareness, especially concerning the transmission and prevention of HPV.

Identification of HPV16 Lineages in South African and Mozambican Women with Normal and Abnormal Cervical Cytology

BACKGROUND

Human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) is an oncogenic virus responsible for the majority of invasive cervical cancer cases worldwide. Due to genetic modifications, some variants are more oncogenic than others. We analysed the HPV16 phylogeny in HPV16-positive cervical Desoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) samples collected from South African and Mozambican women to detect the circulating lineages.

METHODS

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the long control region (LCR) and 300 nucleotides of the E6 region was performed using HPV16-specific primers on HPV16-positive cervical samples collected in women from South Africa and Mozambique. HPV16 sequences were obtained through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) methods. Geneious prime and MEGA 11 software were used to align the sequences to 16 HPV16 reference sequences, gathering the A, B, C, and D lineages and generating the phylogenetic tree. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the LCR and E6 regions were analysed and the phylogenetic tree was generated using Geneious Prime software.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight sequences were analysed. Of these sequences, 79% (46/58) were from women who had abnormal cervical cytology. Fifteen SNPs in the LCR and eight in the E6 region were found to be the most common in all sequences. The phylogenetic analysis determined that 45% of the isolates belonged to the A1 sublineage (European variant), 34% belonged to the C1 sublineage (African 1 variant), 16% belonged to the B1 and B2 sublineage (African 2 variant), two isolates belonged to the D1-3 sublineages (Asian-American variant), and one to the North American variant.

CONCLUSIONS

The African and European HPV16 variants were the most common circulating lineages in South African and Mozambican women. A high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) was the most common cervical abnormality observed and linked to European and African lineages. These findings may contribute to understanding molecular HPV16 epidemiology in South Africa and Mozambique.

Genetic diversity and bioinformatic analysis in the L1 gene of HPV genotypes 31, 33, and 58 circulating in women with normal cervical cytology

BACKGROUND

HPV-31, -33, and -58, along with HPV-45 and -52, account for almost 11% of HPV-associated cancers. Our previous studies showed that after HPV-16 and -51, HPV-58 was common and HPV-31 was as frequent as HPV-18 among Iranian women with normal cytology. Hence, in this study, we aimed to investigate the intra-type variations in L1 genes of HPV-58, -31, and -33 to find the predominant lineages circulating in women with normal cytology.

METHODS

Complete coding sequencing of the L1 gene was amplified and nucleotide and amino acid sequences were compared to those of the references. The selective pressure on L1 protein and whether the variations of the L1 genes embed in L1 loops, or N-glycosylated sites were also investigated.

RESULTS

B1, A, and A1 (sub)lineages were common in the HPV-58, -33, and -31 samples, respectively. Ninety nucleotide mutations were observed. Twenty nine nucleotide changes corresponded to nonsynonymous substitutions in which seventeen mutations were located in L1 loops. Only one codon position in HPV-58 sequences was found as the positive selection. No difference was observed in N-glycosylation sites between reference and understudied amino acid sequences.

CONCLUSION

In the current study, we reported, for the first time, the (sub) lineages, amino acid, and genetic diversity in the L1 gene of circulating HPV-58, -33, and -31, in women with normal cytology, in Iran. Such studies can not only have epidemiological values, but also aid to set vaccination programs.

Evaluation Frequency of Human Papillomavirus and Its Related Genotypes in Women of the General Population Living in 11 Provinces of Iran

Introduction

Persistent infection with one of the most high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus causes all cases of cervical cancer and a significant proportion of other genital cancers. The HPV virus, unlike any other infection that leads to cancer, is transmitted only through sexual intercourse and is less affected by the general changes and development in lifestyle and medical standards, so only vaccination and screening can prevent the HPV virus and cancers caused by it. Therefore, determining the prevalence and distribution of HPV genotypes are of utmost importance in screening strategies regarding cervical cancer and vaccination decisions against HPV that vary based on the geographical and cultural characteristics of the study area. As a result, this study aimed to determine the frequency of human papillomavirus and the distribution of this virus's genotypes in the general population of women living in 11 provinces of Iran.

Materials and Methods

This study is a community-based survey study. Sampling was done by the cluster sampling method. Women aged 15–59 years old from the general population living in 11 provinces of Iran were included in the study after considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using a questionnaire and vaginal examination. The study was performed on 2562 vaginal specimens that were referred to the laboratory of the present study. HPV genome was detected by the nested MY-GP method and papillomavirus genotyping was performed using the PCR multiplex method to identify 19 papillomavirus genotypes.

Results

The general prevalence of HPV in the 11 provinces was obtained at 2.4% (108 out of 2562 people). The highest prevalence of the virus was in the age group of 25–34 years. The prevalence of HPV was statistically significant among different provinces. Hormozgan province with 22 cases (5.9%) had the highest and Isfahan province with 6 cases (2.2%) had the lowest incidence of HPV. The prevalence of high-risk HPV and medium-risk HPV is 3%, and the prevalence of low-risk HPV was estimated to be 2.1% of the total female population. Also, the highest prevalence was related to genotype 16.

Conclusion

According to the high prevalence of the HPV virus in young age groups in Iran, it is necessary to pay attention to screening programs to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.