Serological Response to HPV16 Infection

Abstract

HPV infection of squamous epithelium of female genital. tract results in a variety of clinical. diseases. HPV types 6 and 11, are generally associated with benign proliferative lesions such as condylomata acuminata, while numerous “high risk” HPV types are involved in the development of cervical. dysplasia that can progress to malignancy. In particular HPV type 16 is one of the most important etiological. agent in cervical. squamous carcinoma. Several. studies have demonstrated that HPV16 infection can elicit a humoral. immune response. Serological. assays using different sources of HPV16 antigens, such as synthetic peptides, or protein expressed in prokaryotic or eukaryotic systems, have shown a significant correlation between the presence of antibodies to some HPV16 proteins and cervical. cancer. Antibodies against the transforming protein E6 and E7 have been detected frequently and with high seroprevalence in cervical. cancer cases^1,2,3. In contrast little is known about the serological. response to the virus throughout the different stages of the infection to the development of the tumour.