Human Papillomavirus in Brazilian women with and without cervical lesions

Background: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) high-risk (HR) types are the causal factor for cervical cancer and premalignant dysplasia. Data on frequency of HPV types provide a basis to design and evaluate HPV prevention programs. Taking into account the heterogeneity of HPV types across and within populations this study aims to access the HPV frequency in Brazilian women. Results: We identified 24 different types of HPV, including a Betapapillomavirus and a likely new type, previously reported, from 132 women positive for the virus analysed by Hybrid Capture II assay. These women were infected by a single or multiple HPV types and 142 HPV strains were identified. HR types were found in 75% of women and HPV types 16, 18, 45, 58, and 66 had the highest frequency. Significant differences in frequency of HR HPV types were found for presence of cervical lesions, and for different HPV species and women age. Conclusions: Compared with previous studies in Brazil, our data indicated differences in frequency and HPV type diversity, a significant association of other HR-types but HPV16 and 18 and cervical lesions, and a trend for distinct distribution of HPV types by age. Background Cervical cancer accounts for the third highest mortality amongst cancers in women worldwide, with a higher incidence and frequency in underdeveloped and developing countries [1]. The etiology of cervical cancer, attributed to the high-risk types (HR) of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), has been well established by experimental and epidemiological studies [2-4]. Due to the discovery of more than 100 HPV types and the association of some types with cancer, pre-cancerous lesions and genital warts [5], a series of assays based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification and nucleic acid hybridization were designed for HPV detection. HPV16 and HPV18 are the most types reported, accounting for approximately 70% of all cervical cancers [6] and are also frequent in women lacking cytological abnormalities in different continents [7,8]. The high frequency of HPV16 and HPV18 in cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions lead to development of vaccines against L1 viral capsid proteins of these