HPV — Human Papillomavirus 16-18 (quant.)
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that exclusively affects epithelial cells of ectodermal origin such as skin, genital, and oral mucous membranes. Despite being one of the smallest viruses and having a simple structure, the pathogen is extremely tenacious. The characteristic and main feature of HPV is the ability to stimulate epithelial cells of the skin and mucous membranes to reproduce uncontrollably. As a result, characteristic growths are found on the affected areas, which are as follows:
- acute condylomas (on the genitals of men and women);
- genital warts;
- molluscum contagiosum.
However, the most severe diseases caused by HPV are cervical and vaginal cancer in the female population and penile and prostate cancer in men. At the moment, more than 100 types of papillomaviruses have been identified, but only a few of them are capable of causing any disease in humans. Most often, HPV types 16 and 18 are found in the biomaterial of cervical tumors since their activity is associated with the development of cancerous changes in the skin and mucous membranes.
Provoking factors that contribute to the development of malignant neoplasms include:
- constant change of sexual partners or the presence of several sexual partners at the same time;
- presence of sexually transmitted infections;
- a decrease in general and local protective immune responses;
- frequent inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system;
- early onset of sexual relations;
- presence of bad habits, such as smoking and alcoholism;
- abortions and spontaneous miscarriages in the life history;
- presence of severe concomitant pathology (diabetes mellitus, etc.).
The virus is primarily sexually transmitted, although it can also be transmitted by simple contact, through damaged skin, for example, when going to the hairdresser. A person is dangerous to pass the infection only in the presence of the above-mentioned growths on his/her skin and mucous membranes. The detection of human papillomavirus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is characterized by high sensitivity and specificity (98%). The principle of PCR is the identification of a unique DNA fragment belonging to a given virus, after repeated doubling of the analyzed genetic material in a test tube. However, it is worth remembering that the detection of HPV in the material does not yet indicate the presence of cancer in the patient but requires a more detailed histologic examination.
Women who have a long-term presence of HPV in the cervix have a 65 times greater risk of developing cancer than those in whom the virus is not detected. The risk increases significantly (130 times) if the patient is over 30 and infected with HPV type 16 or 18. The amount of virus depends on the state of general and local immunity of the mucous membranes. The higher the HPV count, the more likely complications of the disease will develop. According to the methodology, the laboratory analyzer catches copies of HPV DNA if their number is more than 0.3 copies/ml. The content of less than 0.3 copies/ml is not of clinical significance! OLYMP CDL branches perform PCR tests in REAL-TIME mode, which means that after each hardware cycle (amplification) the amount of DNA in the biomaterial is measured. This procedure reduces the probability of false positive results to almost zero! Qualitative type of research means that the test result will be “positive” or “negative”, that is, whether or not a fragment of the virus DNA is detected in the biomaterial. To clarify the degree of infection, a quantitative test is necessary. The sampling material is a swab from the urethra or vagina. Consequently, the test result indicates the presence or absence of the pathogen directly at the site of biomaterial collection.
Read more: “PAPILLOMAVIRUS: DANGEROUS AND UNPREDICTABLE!”