Evaluation of loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for detection and typing of human papilloma virus 16 and 18 from endocervical samples

Background: Many human papillomavirus (HPV) types are associated with cervical cancer (CC). Therefore, HPV genotyping has both clinical and epidemiological importance. HPV 16 and 18 are two principal high-risk types responsible for more than 70% of all CC cases. Although several commercial and non-commercial genotyping assays are available, there is a need for a cost-effective and sensitive genotyping method for low- and middle-income countries. Methods: The study was aimed at evaluation of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for HPV genotyping in cervical samples. A total of six primer sets for each HPV type were selected for the assay. The LAMP assay was standardised and validated with HPV control panel. Cervical biopsies were subjected to nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction (NM-PCR; as a part of routine diagnostic workup) and LAMP (HPV 16 and 18) simultaneously. Results: A total of 225 clinical samples were processed during the study period. The sensitivity of the assay was determined using the 10-fold dilutions of positive controls. Both the HPV 16-LAMP and HPV 18-LAMP assays were shown to detect as low as 10 viral copies per reaction, which is similar to that of NM-PCR. The LAMP assay had a good agreement (new cases; 92%, post-chemoradiotherapy [post-CRT]; 89.1%) with NM-PCR for the detection of both HPV 16 and 18. As compared to histology (new cases; 79.8%, post-CRT; 51.3%), LAMP had better agreement with NM-PCR for detection of HPV from post-CRT cases. Conclusions: We evaluated the LAMP assay for simultaneous detection and typing of HPV 16 and 18. The assay had good agreement with NM-PCR for detection of both HPV 16 and 18. The LAMP assay is a promising tool for HPV genotyping along with routine cervical cytology, especially in resource-constrained settings.