ABSTRACT
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are causally associated with a range of human diseases. The alpha-species genotypes broadly infect the epithelium of the anogenital tract and oral cavity of both men and women, including the cervix, vagina, vulva, perineum, anus, penis, and scrotum. Low-risk HPV infections can produce visible papillomas, or warts, in the anogenital tract, oral cavity, and upper respiratory tract. HPV infects the basal cells of the epithelium. Microtrauma, or microscopic tears to the epithelial barrier, allows access of virus to susceptible cells. Cervical HPV infection has been intensively studied in several well-defined cohorts following the recognition that HPV was a necessary cause of cervical cancer. Rates of cervical cancer are significantly increased among women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS in the United States, according to studies that linked population-based registries for cancer with those for HIV/AIDS. Persistent detection of high-risk HPV from exfoliated cervical cells is the strongest risk factor for subsequent high-grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia diagnosis.
