ABSTRACT
Incidence of cervical cancer is high among Bolivian Andean women. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is known as the major risk factor of cervical cancer. The host immune system plays an important role in the outcome of HPV infection and associated malignancies. In order to study the immunogenetic background of Bolivian Andean women with regard to HPV infection status, we compared HLA class I and class II allele frequencies between 37 HPV positive and 68 HPV negative Bolivian women. Demographic variables, including distribution of Andean ethnicities, were similar in both groups. Comparison of HLA class I allele frequencies between both groups indicated no significant difference. In contrast, HLA class II DRB1*1602 allele, an Amerindian allele, was significantly higher in the HPV positive women compared with HPV negative controls (chi(2) = 5.2, p < 0.05, odds ratio = 3.17; 95% confidence interval = 1.4-8.8). HPV types present in the HPV positive group were HPV-18, -16, -31, -33, and -58. These results suggest that HLA class II DRB1*1602 may confer susceptibility to infection with genetically related HPV types. This is the first report of an HLA class II association with HPV infection in an Andean population.
Subject(s)
HLA-DR Antigens/genetics , Papillomaviridae , Papillomavirus Infections/genetics , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/genetics , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/virology , Adolescent , Adult , Bolivia , Demography , Female , Gene Frequency , HLA-DR Antigens/immunology , HLA-DRB1 Chains , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/genetics , Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/genetics , Humans , Middle Aged , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/diagnosisABSTRACT
Cervical cancer constitutes a major health problem in developing countries like Bolivia. The roles of certain genotypes of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer is well established. The prevalence of HPV infection among sexually active women varies greatly. Information regarding HPV infection in Bolivia is very much scarce, specially in regions like the Amazonian lowland. We studied 135 healthy women living in four rural localities of the Bolivian Amazon. Presence of HPV in DNA extracted from cervical swabs was analyzed using a reverse line hybridization assay. The estimated overall HPV infection prevalence among the studied rural localities was 5.9% (ranging from 0-16.6%). These values were unexpectedly low considering Bolivia has a high incidence of cervical cancer. The fact that Amazonian people seem to be less exposed to HPV, makes it likely that some other risk factors including host lifestyle behaviors and genetic background may be involved in the development of cervical cancer in this population.
Subject(s)
Papillomaviridae , Papillomavirus Infections/epidemiology , Tumor Virus Infections/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Bolivia/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Nucleic Acid Hybridization , Papillomavirus Infections/diagnosis , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Prevalence , Rural Health/statistics & numerical data , Tumor Virus Infections/diagnosis , Vaginal SmearsABSTRACT
Cervical cancer constitutes a major health problem in developing countries like Bolivia. The roles of certain genotypes of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer is well established. The prevalence of HPV infection among sexually active women varies greatly. Information regarding HPV infection in Bolivia is very much scarce, specially in regions like the Amazonian lowland. We studied 135 healthy women living in four rural localities of the Bolivian Amazon. Presence of HPV in DNA extracted from cervical swabs was analyzed using a reverse line hybridization assay. The estimated overall HPV infection prevalence among the studied rural localities was 5.9 percent (ranging from 0-16.6 percent). These values were unexpectedly low considering Bolivia has a high incidence of cervical cancer. The fact that Amazonian people seem to be less exposed to HPV, makes it likely that some other risk factors including host lifestyle behaviors and genetic background may be involved in the development of cervical cancer in this population
