28 research outputs found
Molecular analyses on HPV infections in semen
No full textIntroduction: Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) are non-enveloped double stranded DNA viruses classified in different genera and several different genotypes. Depending on the genotypes, HPV infections can be asymptomatic or can cause from warts to malignant tumours. Some genotypes, such as HPV18 and HPV16, are considered high risk (HR) HPVs and they are the major cause of cervical cancer. HPV is highly tissue-tropic and infects epithelial cells, but it can also binds other cell types. It is known that HPV can be found in semen but its effects on spermatozoa and male reproductive system are not completely clarified.
Materials and Methods: In order to study the HPV infection in semen, we developed a new molecular approach, based on a differential cell lysis step and DNA extraction, which allows to evaluate virus localization in the different semen components. Samples are genotyped by reverse hybridization assay and DNA presence and quantity in sperms, somatic cells and semen plasma are evaluated by nested PCR and type-specific real time PCR. Moreover, RNA is also extracted from the separated semen fractions and the expression of selected genes is assessed by RT-qPCR. Seminal parameters are also carefully analysed.
Results: Results show that HPV can be identified in every fraction of semen. Different samples can contain the virus in different fractions and more than one HPV genotype can be found in the same fraction. Additionally, our data suggest that only when HPV DNA is detected in spermatozoa can cause a reduction of sperm cell motility that resulted proportional to the viral load. Moreover, preliminary results suggest that samples infected by HR-HPVs show a low viral load. Interestingly, the viral load of the low risk (LR) mucosal HPVs is often much higher. RT-qPCR results suggest that HPV infection could modify sperm maturation pathway causing the impairment of motility, altering the expression of some maturation genes. Indeed, in LR-HPV infected samples the
Discussion and Conclusions: Our results highlight the heterogeneity of semen infections: all semen components can contain viral DNA and viral load can be very different for HR- and LR-HPVs; some samples may carry HPV either in cells or in sperms and other samples in both. Only when viral DNA is localized in the sperm fraction, sperm motility is impaired, otherwise, the infection of ductal cells exfoliating in the semen could influence the expression of genes important for sperm maturation. Therefore, these data confirm that HPV infection in semen, even if asymptomatic in the man, can decrease male fertility and prompt new possible consequences of the viral infection in semen
Trasmissione intergenerazionale ed esperienze migratorie. Verso nuove forme della funzione genitoriale
No full textRiscontro di HPV DNA in brushing penieno, tampone uretrale e liquido seminale di partners di donne HPV positive: analisi della prevalenza e della concordanza tipo-specifica nella coppia.
No full textHPV genotype prevalence in cytologically abnormal cervical samples from women living in south Italy
No full textHuman papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the commonest sexually transmitted infection, and high-risk HPV types are associated with cervical carcinogenesis. This study investigated: the HPV type-specific prevalence in 970 women with an abnormal cytological diagnosis; and the association of HPV infection and cervical disease in a subset of 626 women with a histological diagnosis. HPV-DNA was researched by nested PCR/sequencing and the INNOLiPA HPV Genotyping assay. The data were analysed by the chi-square test (p ? 0.05 significant). Overall, the HPV prevalence was 37.7%; high-risk genotypes were found in 88.5% of women and multiple-type infections in 30.9% of the HPV-positive women. The commonest types were HPV-16 (8.2%), HPV-6 (5.0%), HPV-51 (4.2%) and HPV-53 (3.6%). Among the women with histological diagnosis, HPV was evident in 19.9% of those without lesions, 65.8% of those with low-grade lesions and 100% (p = 0.002) of those with high-grade lesions. The commonest types were HPV-16 (in 14.7% low-grade and 42.8% high-grade lesions), HPV-31 (4.7% and 14.3%, respectively) and HPV-33 (2.0% and 14.3%, respectively). Two high-grade lesions contained exclusively one uncommon type, namely, HPV-83 and -85. This study confirmed the high prevalence of HPV infection and high-risk genotypes among women with cervical abnormalities living in Italy. These data may contribute to increasing the knowledge of HPV epidemiology and designing adequate vaccine strategies. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
HPV Infection in partners of women with HPV positive cervical cytology: diagnosis by sampling different genital sites.
No full textPOTENTIAL IMPACT OF A NONAVALENT VACCINE ON HPV RELATED LOW-AND HIGH-GRADE CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL LESIONS
No full textIntroduction: Demonstration of the role of persistent infection, with high-risk (HR) human papillomaviruses (HPV) as the causal agent of cervical cancer made the development of first and second generation prophylactic vaccines. Bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines are at the moment available in Europe. In 2014 is licensing a nonavalent HPV vaccine against HPV types: 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58. The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential impact on HPV infection and related low- and high-grade cervical lesions (LSIL, HSIL) of the candidate nonavalent HPV vaccine, compared to the impact of the quadrivalent, in a female population living in Sicily.
Materials and Methods: HPV genotypes was identified by Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test (Roche Diagnostics) and with the INNO-LiPA HPV assay (Innogenetics) for ambiguous HPV 52 status. Low estimates of HPV vaccine impact was calculated as prevalence of HPV 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 genotypes alone or in association but excluding presence of another HPV type; high estimate as prevalence of HPV 6/11/16/18/31/ 33/45/52/58 genotypes alone or in association, in presence of another HPV type.
Results:1794 samples had a HPV positive finding. HR HPV types, alone or with LR types, were present in 1466 (81.7%) samples. 584/1794 (32.5%) samples harboured at least one of the four HPV types covered by the quadrivalent vaccine (HPV 6/11/16 and 18), while 984 (54.8%) samples harboured at least one of the genotypes included in nonavalent vaccine, implying a significantly higher estimated coverage of HPV infection from the developing vaccine than the current quadrivalent (54.8% vs 32.5%; p<0.001). Of the samples with a known histological diagnosis a total of 362 cases (72.2%) of LSIL and of 58 cases (90.6%) of ≥HSIL were HPV positive. The nonavalent HPV vaccine showed increased impact on both categories of lesions, compared to the quadrivalent vaccine. Estimates of potential impact varied from 30.9% (low estimate) to 53.3% (high estimate) for LSIL, and from 56.9% to 81% for HSIL. Compared to the quadrivalent vaccine, the proportion of additional cases potentially prevented by the nonavalent vaccine was 14.4%-23.8% for LSIL, and 19%- 32.8% for HSIL. The benefit of the nonavalent vaccine compared to the quadrivalent vaccine was more than 80% for both low and high impact estimates for LSIL and more than 50% for both low and high impact estimates for HSIL.
Discussion and conclusions: the present study confirms that the switch to a nonavalent HPV vaccine would increase the prevention of high grade cervical lesions in up to 90% of cases. Implementation of nonavalent vaccination programs could become thus a cost effective public health prevention approach, based on the potential to produce substantial incremental benefits
Israeli spotted fever rickettsia: a new agent of Mediterranean spotted fever in Sicily (Italy)
No full textBrushing della mucosa orale per la diagnosi di infezione da hpv in pazienti con lesioni orali potenzialmente maligne e maligne
No full textPresence of Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis, the causative agent of Israeli spotted fever, in Sicily, Italy, ascertained in a retrospective study
No full textA retrospective analysis by molecular-sequence-based techniques was performed to correctly identify the etiological agent of 24 Mediterranean spotted fever cases occurring in Western Sicily, Italy, from 1987 to 2001. Restriction analysis of a 632-bp PCR-amplified portion of the ompA gene allowed presumptive identification of five clinical isolates as belonging to Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis, the etiological agent of Israeli spotted fever (ISF). The remaining 19 rickettsial isolates were Rickettsia conorii subsp. conorii, the only pathogenic rickettsia of the spotted fever group reported in Italy until the present. Sequence analysis of the ompA gene confirmed the identification of all the R. conorii subsp. israelensis isolates and demonstrated that rickettsiosis caused by R. conorii subsp. israelensis can be traced back to 1991 in Sicily. The recorded clinical data of the five ISF patients support the idea that these strains could correlate to more-severe forms of human disease. Three of five patients experienced severe disease, and one of them died
DISTRIBUTION OF GENITAL HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS IN SICILIAN MEN WITH AND WITHOUT CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS
No full textIntroduction: Infection Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of several disease in men and in women: genital warts, penile and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, invasive penile carcinoma and cervical cancer. However, less is known about HPV infection and prevalence of HPV types in men.
Materials and Methods: 820 genital samples of men (age 19-77; mean age: 36.7 ys) who had come to the Virology laboratory of the Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care (Policlinico, University of Palermo, Italy) were examined for HPV infection. The study included men with genital warts, men with atypical genital lesion, partners of HPV-positive women and asymptomatic men for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) diagnostic evaluation. HPV-DNA genotyping was performed by the INNOLiPA HPV Genotyping Extra II Test (Fujirebio) and nested PCR/sequencing method.
Results: 461/820 (56.2%) genital samples were HPV positive. The highest HPV detection rate was found in the 25-34 year age group (41.4%), followed by the 35-44 group (31.7%). Oncogenic types were found in 360 (78.1%) samples, alone 228 (63.3%) or with non-oncogenic types 132 (36.7%). Multiple HPV type infections were shown in 225 (48.8%) samples of whom 109 (23.6%) had two genotypes, 58 (12.6%) three genotypes, 38 (8.2%) four genotypes, 15 (3.2%) five genotypes, 3 (0.6%) six genotypes and then only 2 (0.4%) eight genotypes.
Thirty-eight different HPV types were identified: the mostly frequent were HPV-16 (19.9% of HPV positive patients), -51 and -6 (18.2%), -31 (13.9%), -66 (13.7%), -53 (11%), -18 (7.6%), -44 (7.1%), -56 (7%), -11 (5.8%), -39 and –52 (5.6%), -54 (5.2%), -58 (5%), -62 (4.5%); other viral types occurred at a frequency of less than 4.0%.
Men who have made the HPV test: 138 (16.8%) were diagnosed with genital warts, 3 (0.4%) carcinomas, 413 (50.3%) were HPV-positive women partners, 30 (3.6%) presence of an atypical genital lesion, 236 (28.7%) men who wanted a full assessment of sexual transmitted diseases. HPV infection was evident in 100% men with carcinomas, in 103 (74.6%) men with genital warts, in 254 men (61.5%) partners of HPV-positive women, in 11 (36.6%) men with presence of an atypical genital lesion and in 90 (38.1%) in asymptomatic men. HPV-16 was prevalent in 2 (66.7%) men with carcinoma, in 55 (21.6%) men HPV-positive women partners and in 3 (27.3) men with atypical genital lesion; HPV-6 in 36 (35%) men with genital warts and in 19 (21.1%) asymptomatic men.
Discussion and conclusions: this study showed a high prevalence of genital HPV infection in Sicilian men. This information will contribute to elucidating the epidemiology of HPV infection in man, and it will also be helpful in the implementation of future prevention strategies
