Comparison of women with cervical human papillomavirus infection and genital warts. I. Some behavioural factors and clinical findings

Sexually transmitted and other genital infections in women with cervical human papillomavirus infection

Objective: We investigated possible correlations between latent cervical human papillomavirus infection (CHPI) and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Methods: Of 972 randomly selected women attending 2 family planning clinics and a youth clinic who had agreed to participate in a study concerning STDs, 66 (6.8%) had latent CHPI.

Results: An association was found between latent CHPI on one hand and a history of genital chlamydial infection, gonorrhea, recurrent vaginal candidiasis, cervicitis, or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) on the other, while no correlation between latent CHPI and coexistent STDs was found. No correlation of latent CHPI to either current or past genital warts was noted. In multifactorial analyses, which included the lifetime number of sexual partners and age at first intercourse, we found that all significant associations except a history of gonorrhea vanished.

Conclusions: In this study population, screening for other current STDs in women with latent CHPI would be of limited value.

Infection and cervical neoplasia: facts and fiction

Whilst there is strong evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV) is the principal aetiological agent in cervical neoplasia, some other sexually transmitted agents may either contribute or protect against cervical carcinogenesis, such as the herpes virus family (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). Epidemiological studies suggest that HSV may have a role in cervical neoplasia, but there is no clear supportive experimental evidence. Serological studies have also failed to reveal a difference in the prevalence of antibodies to CMV and EBV between patients with cervical cancer and controls. However, longitudinal seroepidemiological studies have provided evidence that CT is an independent risk factor for the development of cervical squamous carcinoma and this association is serotype specific. The increased risk of cervical neoplasia in patients infected with HIV has been recognised for over a decade and HIV may interact with HPV either by alternating HPV gene transcription or by immunosuppression. Finally extensive experimental and limited epidemiological evidence suggests that adeno-associated viruses (AAV) may have antioncogenic activity in man and may protect against the development of cervical cancer. At present the mechanism of this action is unclear but may relate to AAV-induced regulation of HPV gene expression and the HPV life cycle. In this review we summarize the current literature relating to the associations and mechanisms of cervical carcinogenesis by each of these infectious microorganisms.

The role of vaccines in the control of STDs: HPV vaccines

Prophylactic vaccines for genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have been shown to be feasible in animal models, and suitable vaccine material based on virus-like particles can be produced in bulk at reasonable cost. Initiation of phase III clinical trials will follow definition of trial outcome measures through further epidemiological studies, and development of assays of host protective immunity. Vaccines could in principle eliminate HPV-related disease, as the human race is the only natural host for the relevant papillomaviruses (PVs). Therapeutic vaccines for genital HPV infection are also possible, but have not yet been demonstrated as feasible in practice because the choice of vaccine antigens is difficult, the method of their optimal delivery is uncertain, and the nature of the relevant antiviral immunity is unknown. PV species specificity will require trials to be conducted in man, which will slow definition of an ideal vaccine.

Sexual risk behavior in women with cervical human papillomavirus infection

In a study of 972 women, sexual characteristics of 66 women with a cervical human papillomavirus infection (CHPI) were compared to the remaining study population. Among a number of sexual variables that were significantly correlated with CHPI were number of lifetime sexual partners, short partnerships, many recent partners, infidelity, casual travel sex, sexual début abroad, oral and anal sex, and sexual abuse. In multifactorial analyses four variables remained significantly correlated with CHPI, i.e., number of lifetime sexual partners, casual travel sex, sexual début abroad, and infidelity. It is concluded that CHPI shows most of the epidemiological characteristics of a sexually transmitted disease.