No abstract

No abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) were studied in 379 high-risk women. Human papillomavirus DNA was detected in 238 of 360 (66.1%) of the beta-globin-positive cervical samples, and 467 HPV isolates belonging to 35 types were identified. Multiple (2 -7 types) HPV infections were observed in 52.9% of HPV-infected women. The most prevalent HPV types were HPV-52 (14.7%), HPV-35 (9.4%), HPV-58 (9.4%), HPV-51 (8.6%), HPV-16 (7.8%), HPV-31 (7.5%), HPV-53 (6.7%), and HPV-18 (6.4%). Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) seroprevalence was 36.0%. Human papillomavirus prevalence was significantly higher in HIV-1-infected women (87 vs 54%, prevalence ratio ( Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer of women in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (Parkin et al, 1999), and it is now well established that genital infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) causes virtually all cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) (Walboomers et al, 1999). The HPV types that infect the genital tract have been subdivided into low-risk (LR) types, which are principally found in nonmalignant lesions such as genital warts, and high-risk (HR) types, which are associated with the development of CIN and ICC. Human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 40, 42, 43, 44, 54, 61, 70, 72, 81, and 89 are classified as LR types, whereas types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 73, and 82 are classified as HR types. In addition, HPV types 26, 53, and 66 are considered as probably carcinogenic (Muñoz et al, 2003).Human papillomavirus prophylactic vaccines are now being developed and promising results have been obtained with recombinant L1 capsid protein virus-like particles (VLPs). However, the current HPV vaccines target the most prevalent high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) types worldwide, namely HPV-16 and HPV-18 (Koutsky et al, 2002;Ault et al, 2004;Brown et al, 2004;Harper et al, 2004). It has been shown that crossneutralisation induced by L1 VLPs represents less than 1% of the neutralising activity induced by the dominant conformational epitope , indicating that current HPV vaccines would be able to confer only type-specific immunity. Therefore, effectiveness of these vaccines on the prevention of cancer may be lower in populations highly affected by HR-HPV types other than HPV-16 and HPV-18. Thus, it is important to document the distribution of HPV genotypes in HPV-infected women and in women with cervical neoplasia in African countries in order to assess the potential effectiveness of a bivalent HPV-16/18 vaccine.There have been few detailed studies of HPV genotypes and their association with intraepithelial lesions or ICC in sub-Saharan Africa. Available data suggest, however, a higher prevalence and wider spectrum of oncogenic HPV types compared to studies conducted elsewhere (Castellsague et al, 2001;De Vuyst et al, 2003;Mayaud et al, 2003;Clifford et al, 2005;Wall et al, 2005). Furthermore, the high backgr...

No abstract

Objectives: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) have been linked to an increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition. Recent research suggests an association between BV and HSV-2 acquisition, but the converse has not been studied. Here, we investigate whether an association exists between BV and HSV-2 infection Methods: We examined the determinants of BV occurrence in a cohort of female sex workers in Burkina Faso. Participants were followed every 3 months for diagnosis of genital infections and report of sexual behaviours. Factors associated with BV occurrence were assessed using generalised estimating equation models. Results: We enrolled 273 women (mean age, 28 years) and conducted 812 follow-up visits (mean 2.93 visit per woman). Baseline seroprevalence of HIV-1, HSV-2 and recent syphilis were 31.5%, 70.1% and 0.4%, respectively, while baseline prevalence of BV, Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and Candida albicans were 20.5%, 3.3% and 2.5%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, HSV-2 (relative risk (RR) = 1.73, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.65), HIV-1 (RR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.40), TV (RR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.3), and having >3 sexual partners in the preceding week (RR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.6) were independently associated with BV, while hormonal contraception showed a protective effect (RR = 0.11, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.70). Conclusions: HSV-2 infection was associated with BV occurrence in this population. As HSV-2 is strongly linked to HIV-1 acquisition, studies assessing the cofactor effect of BV on HIV acquisition should control for the presence of HSV-2. Further studies are required to investigate the relative effect of asymptomatic HSV-2 shedding and/or genital ulcerations on BV occurrence. B acterial vaginosis (BV) is a polymicrobial syndrome that represents the main cause of abnormal vaginal discharge worldwide, with prevalence in the general population ranging from 20 to 50%.1 Several studies have suggested bilateral interactions between BV and HIV-1. Cross-sectional studies have reported that HIV-seropositive women were more likely to have BV episodes.2 Reciprocally, longitudinal studies have suggested that BV could facilitate HIV acquisition. [3][4][5] One of the strongest epidemiological correlates of HIV acquisition is infection with Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2), 6 through clinical episodes and asymptomatic genital shedding. Recent research suggests that BV could facilitate HSV-2 acquisition 7 and also trigger HSV-2 genital shedding episodes. 8 However, there is little available information regarding the potential role of HSV-2 infection upon the occurrence of BV episodes. We examined the determinants of BV occurrence in a cohort of high-risk women in Burkina Faso, West Africa, with a particular focus on the hitherto little-studied role of HSV-2 infection. METHODSThis study was conducted within a cohort study of female sex workers (FSWs) in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, which has been described previously. 9 In brief, FSWs who provided written informed consent were invited to join an i...