Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and phylogenetic analysis of HPV-16 E6 variants among infected women from Northern Brazil

Is syphilis infection a risk factor for cervicovaginal HPV occurrence? A case-control study

BACKGROUND

Syphilis and human papillomavirus (HPV) are sexually transmitted infections affecting women in the same risk group. Thus, the main objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of HPV in a population of women with and without syphilis and observe the characteristics of HPV cervical lesions when coinfection occurs. Sociodemographic factors associated with coinfection were also evaluated.

METHODS

This case-control study was conducted at a Brazilian HIV/STD testing and training center. Study groups were composed of women with (case) and without syphilis (control), paired by age. The presence of HPV, HPV subtype, and lesion severity were investigated. All women were subjected to a sociodemographic interview, clinical data collection, cell collection for cytopathological analysis, and a hybrid capture test for HPV diagnosis. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 176 women, 88 in each group. The prevalence of HPV was 14.8 % in the case (n = 13) and 18.1 % in the control group (n = 16), and there was no statistically significant difference between them. Illiterate individuals were more prevalent in the control group (p = 0.023). Considering women with suggestive signs of STIs, 30 % (6) of the patients and controls had high-risk HPV, and 15 % (3) had coinfection. The cytopathological assessment showed no differences between the groups concerning cellular atypia. However, ASC-US and ASC-H (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and high-grade) were only found in women with coinfections, with 75 % of these patients testing positive for high-risk HPV. Considering the distribution of lesions on the cervix, the HSIL (high-grade intraepithelial lesion) was assessed in high-risk HPV patients, both cases and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of HPV was not increased in patients infected with syphilis. In addition, coinfection does not seem to be an aggravating factor for the presence of precursor lesions of cervical cancer.

High prevalence of sexual infection by human papillomavirus and Chlamydia trachomatis in sexually-active women from a large city in the Amazon region of Brazil

BACKGROUND

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Chlamydia trachomatis are the most prevalent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) worldwide, and are associated cervical cancer and pelvic inflammatory disease, respectively. However, 80% of women testing positive are asymptomatic. In the Amazon region, young women, in particular, are widely exposed to the infections and their consequences.

OBJECTIVES

Determine the prevalence of sexual infection by HPV and C. trachomatis in young, sexually-active women treated at a university health program in a large city of the Brazilian Amazon region.

METHODS

We amplified the L1 gene of HPV. We amplified ompA gene of C. trachomatis by nested PCR, and the study participants filled in a questionnaire on their social, epidemiological, and reproductive health characteristics. The data were analyzed using the Odds Ratio, to evaluate the degree of association of these variables with the observed infections.

RESULTS

The prevalence of infection by HPV was 15.5% (47/303). This infection was recorded in 32.2% of the women of less than 25 years of age (OR:3.02 [CI95%] = 1.32-6.92; p = 0.014), 17.9% of the single women (OR: 2.41 [CI95%] = 1.22-4.75; p = 0.014), 23.8% of the women that reported having first sexual intercourse at less than 15 years of age (OR: 2.22 [CI95%] = 1.16-4.23; p = 0.021), 20% of those that reported having had more than one sexual partner during their lifetime (OR: 3.83 [CI95%] = 1.56-9.37; p = 0.003), and in 28.3% that use oral contraceptives (CI95% = 1.33-5.43; p = 0.008). The prevalence of sexual infection by C. trachomatis was 4.6% (14/303), and this bacterium was present in 16.1% of the young women of less than 25 years of age (OR: 2.86 [CI95%] = 1.33-5.43; p = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS

We found a high prevalence of HPV in young, unmarried women who started their sex lives early, who had several sexual partners in their lives and who used oral contraceptives. The prevalence of C. trachomatis was high only in young women. Our data are in accordance with other studies in Brazil and in the world and may serve to base the formulation of diagnostic and screening measures for these infections in women in the Amazon.

Role of HPV 16 variants among cervical carcinoma samples from Northeastern Brazil

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer affecting women globally. In Brazil, it is the third most frequent type of cancer in women and HPV is present in approximately 90% of cases. Evidence suggests that variants of HPV 16 can interfere biologically and etiologically during the development of cervical cancer.

METHODS

Cervix tumor fragments were collected, their DNA was extracted, and nested PCR was used to detect HPV. Positive samples were sequenced to determine the viral genotype. To characterize the HPV 16 strains, positive samples PCR was used to amplify the LCR and E6 regions of the HPV 16 virus.

RESULTS

Data from 120 patients with cervical cancer were analyzed. Most women were between 41 and 54 years of age, had schooling until primary school, a family income between 1 and 2 times the minimum wage and were married/in a consensual union. There was no statistically significant association between HPV or socio-demographic variables and risk factors for cervical cancer (P <  0.05). HPV was present in 88 women (73%). The most prevalent types were HPV 16 (53.4%), HPV 18 (13.8%), HPV 35 (6.9%) and HPV 45 (5.7%). Of the 47 HPV 16 positive cases, variant A (49%) was present in 23 samples, followed by variant D in 20 cases (43%), and variants B and C in 2 cases each (4%). The most prevalent histological type of HPV 16 tumors was squamous cell carcinoma, followed by adenocarcinoma. There was a statistically significant association between HPV 16 variants and the tumors' histological types (P <  0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge of HPV 16 variants will provide data on their influence on the pathological and oncogenic aspects of cervical lesions.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in Brazil: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of genital, anal and oral HPV infection in Brazil through systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE, Web of Science and SciELO from inception to December 2018. Original research articles that assessed the prevalence of genital (i.e., cervical, penile), anal and oral HPV infection in Brazil were selected in pairs by independent authors. No sex, age, HPV vaccination, language or date restrictions were applied. HPV prevalence was estimated and stratified according to risk factors population and by geographic area throughout the country. The study prevalence was pooled using a random effects model. Analysis was performed using R (version 3.5.2), packages meta version 4.9-4 and metaphor 2.0-0. This review is registered on PROSPERO under protocol number CRD42016032751.

RESULTS

We identified 3,351 references. After the screening process, 139 of them were eligible for this systematic review (57,513 total participants). Prevalence of cervical HPV was 25.41% (95% CI 22.71-28.32). Additionally, prevalence was 36.21% (95% CI 23.40, 51.33) in the penile region, 25.68% (95%CI 14.64, 41.04) in the anal region, and 11.89% (95%CI 6.26, 21.43) in the oral region. Subgroup analysis showed prevalence in each anatomic site was higher in high-risk populations.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of HPV is high in the Brazilian population and varies by population risk and anatomic body site, with lower rates in the oral cavity compared to that in the cervical, penile and anal region. Studies on HPV have primarily been developed to evaluate infection and cancer in the cervical region. There is a profound lack of HPV data in many geographic regions of Brazil and for different anatomic sites.

Diversity of human papillomavirus typing among women population living in rural and remote areas of Brazilian territory

Objectives

Genotyping HPV from samples tested positive to careHPV™ assay in rural and remote areas of Brazilian territory.

Methods

A total of 5079 women were enrolled in an opportunistic screening from the Barretos Cancer Hospital, through mobile units or ambulatory unit. All careHPV™ hr-HPV positive samples were tested by a Luminex-based protocol in order to evaluate the HPV infecting types.

Results

Positive hr-HPV results were obtained in 10.6% (536/5068) of women. Among these cases, HPV-56 and HPV-51 were the most common types detected in 32.3% and 31.4%, respectively. HPV-53 (20.5%), HPV-18 (18.5%), HPV-58 (17.6%), HPV-52 (16.0%) and HPV-16.6%) were the other most frequent types detected. These frequencies represent prevalences of 2.35%, 2.12%, 2.02%, 1.84% and 1.80% respectively, within the population studied. Regarding low-risk HPVs, HPV-6 was detected in 12.9% of the samples. The less frequent types (<3%) were: HPV-70, HPV-11 and HPV-26.

Conclusions

The most frequent types detected were: HPV-56, HPV-51, HPV-53, HPV-18, HPV-58, HPV-52 and HPV-16 according to decreasing rates.

The Intersection of HIV, Social Vulnerability, and Reproductive Health: Analysis of Women Living with HIV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 1996 to 2016

Comprehensive care for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and social needs for women living with HIV remains limited globally. We aimed to assess trends in baseline sociodemographic, clinical, sexual, and reproductive characteristics among a cohort of HIV-infected women in Rio de Janeiro from 1996 to 2016. Participants were stratified into four time periods based on year of enrollment; we compared cross-sectional data from each period. Of 1361 participants (median age 36), most were black or mixed race (60.1%), unemployed (52.1%), and without secondary education (54%). Adolescent pregnancy was common (51.5%), and 18.3% reported sexual debut at < 15 years old. Nearly half (45.2%) had < 5 lifetime sexual partners, yet prior syphilis and oncogenic human papillomavirus prevalence were 10.9% and 43.1%, respectively. Lifetime prevalence of induced abortion was 30.3%, and 16% used no contraceptive method. Future research should explore interactions between social vulnerability, HIV, and poor SRH outcomes and healthcare models to alleviate these disparities.

Comparative analysis of human papillomavirus type 6 complete genomes originated from head and neck and anogenital disorders

It is increasingly recognized that fundamental differences exist between high-risk and low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes regarding interactions with the host. This study aims to join the recently emerging efforts to uncover these differences at the complete genome level and to study how they may influence the disease caused. Sixteen samples of thirteen patients with various HPV6-mediated benign mucosal disorders (nine recurrent respiratory papillomatoses with 2-8 recurrences, one condyloma acuminatum and three premalignant lesions of the genital mucosa) were sampled to determine the complete virus genomes. We collected the 197 HPV6 complete genomes deposited in the GenBank for cluster analysis to determine (sub)lineages. Genome polymorphisms were determined against the reference sequences of the (sub)lineages. Genome polymorphisms of the long control region (LCR) were tested for putative transcription factor binding sites; their functional analysis was performed by transient transfection of cloned whole LCRs into HEp-2 cells using a luciferase reporter system. Genomes from the same patients were always identical. Three, nine and one patients carried HPV6 lineage A, sublineage B1 and B2 variants, respectively. The three lineage A sequences were highly similar to each other, but distinct from the reference genome. A unique non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found in the E5a open reading frame (ORF). Sublineage B1 genomes were more diverse, exhibited unique non-synonymous SNPs in the LCR and the E2/E4, L1, L2 ORFs. LCR activity of lineage A and sublineage B1 differed significantly; activity of one sublineage B1 LCR exhibiting two unique SNPs was significantly higher than that of other B1 LCR variants, close to the mean of LCR activities of lineage A variants. Different HPV6 lineages showed marked differences in variability patterns of the different genome regions. This may be involved in the differences in their distribution in different diseases or patient populations.

High frequency of HPV16 European variant E350G among Mexican women from Sinaloa

Background & objectives:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections play a crucial role in the aetiology of cervical cancer (CC), and HPV16 is the primary viral genotype associated with CC. A number of variants of the HPV16 E6 gene are involved in the progression of CC, differing in their prevalence and biological and biochemical properties. This study was designed to determine the frequency of HPV types 16/18 and to identify the presence of HPV16 E6-variants in asymptomatic Mexican women.

Methods:

A total of 189 cervical Pap smears were collected from women attending public health services in three different cities in Sinaloa, Mexico. Viral DNA was identified by amplification of E6 viral gene fragments using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Identification of variants was done by sequencing a DNA fragment (321bp) of the HPV16 E6 gene.

Results:

More than half of the women tested were HPV-positive (52.38%), with HPV16 being the most frequent genotype (21.16%), followed by HPV18 (8.99%). Sequence analysis of the E6-HPV16 PCR products showed that in all cases, the viruses corresponded to European variants. It was further observed that the E350G intra-variant was the most common (>76%).

Interpretation & conclusions:

This study showed a predominance of European lineage variants of HPV16 among asymptomatic women from Sinaloa, Mexico, predominantly with of the E350G variant. This variant has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of early development of CC. The use of molecular identification of carcinogenic HPV and Pap test screening may be a good strategy for monitoring women to prevent CC.

Association of HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQB1 Polymorphisms with HPV 16 E6 Variants among Young Cervical Cancer Patients in China

Potential correlation of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 E6 variants and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II polymorphisms has been suggested in patients with cervical cancer, so far little information is available about the possible interaction between E6 variants and HLA class II variability during the obviously accelerated progression to cervical cancer in young women. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between the HPV16 E6 variants and HLA-DRB1, DQB1 alleles in a Chinese young cervical cancer population. The HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQB1 polymophisms were genotyped by low-resolution polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with sequence-specific primer. HPV16 E6 DNA was tested by Sanger fluorescent dye dideoxy-termination technique. The difference of DRB1, DQB1 polymorphisms between young cervical cancer patients (≤35ys, n=61) and older ones (>35ys, n=85) and the association with E6 variants were analyzed. Results showed that the distribution pattern of HLA-DRB1, DQB1 alleles was different between young cervical cancer patients and older ones. The allele frequency of DQB1*0501 in young patients was significantly lower than older ones (6.6% vs. 23.5%, p<0.05). The HPV16 E6 A4 lineage was the exclusive type observed in young patients, and its prevalence was significantly higher than that of older cases (82.86% vs.41.94%, p<0.05). DRB1*03 was not found in young patients positive for the HPV16 E6 A4 lineage, whereas it was observed in 19.2 % older patients with A4 positive(Pc<0.05). In conclusion, specific association between certain HPV16 E6 variant and genetic polymorphisms of HLA may play a role during the progression of early onset cervical cancer in young patients. Certain HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles may be related to the A4 lineage among young cervical cancer patients, which was the unique HPV16 E6 variant found in Chinese young patients. Our finding may provide an insight into the pathogenic factors that associated with cervical cancer in young women.

Human papillomavirus type distribution and HPV16 intratype diversity in southern Brazil in women with and without cervical lesions

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV) intratype variants (specific lineages and sublineages) are associated with pathogenesis and progression from HPV infection to persistence and the development of cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to verify the prevalence of HPV infection and distribution of HPV types and HPV16 variants in southern Brazil in women with normal cytology or intraepithelial lesions.

METHODS

HPV typing was determined by L1 gene sequencing. To identify HPV16 variants, the LCR and E6 regions were sequenced, and characteristic single nucleotide variants were identified.

FINDINGS

A total of 445 samples were studied, with 355 from cervical scrapes and 90 from cervical biopsies. HPV was detected in 24% and 91% of these samples, respectively. The most prevalent HPV types observed were 16 (cervical, 24%; biopsies, 57%) and 58 (cervical, 12%; biopsies, 12%). Seventy-five percent of the HPV16-positive samples were classified into lineages, with 88% defined as lineage A, 10% as lineage D, and 2% as lineage B.

MAIN CONCLUSIONS

This study identified a high frequency of European and North American HPV16 lineages, consistent with the genetic background of the human population in southern Brazil.

Prevalence of type-specific HPV among female university students from northern Brazil

Background

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with cervical cancer, the most frequent cancer in women from northern Brazil. Assessment of the short-term impact of HPV vaccination depends on the availability of data on the prevalence of type-specific HPV in young women in the pre-immunization period, although these data are currently unavailable for the study region. The aim of this study was to estimate the distribution of all mucosal HPV genotypes, including low- and high-risk HPV types, in unvaccinated college students from northern Brazil.

Findings

Specimens were collected from 265 university students during routine cervical cancer screening. The HPV DNA was assessed by Polymerase Chain Reaction and positive samples were genotyped by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism. Most students (85.7 %) had normal cytological results. The prevalence of HPV was 25.3 % (67/265), with a high frequency of multiple infections and non-vaccine high-risk HPV genotypes. The most prevalent type was HPV-61 (5.3 %), followed by types 82, 16, 59, and 6. Multiple infections were associated with high-risk and possibly high-risk HPVs.

Conclusions

We demonstrated a high prevalence of HPV infection in university students from northern Brazil. Vaccine high-risk types were relatively rare, emphasizing the predominance of carcinogenic genotypes that are not prevented by the currently available vaccines. Our study highlights the need to reinforce cytological screening in women from northern Brazil, and promote the early diagnosis and treatment of the precancerous lesions associated with cervical cancer.