The Frequency of High-risk and Low-risk Human Papillomavirus Genotypes in Different Grades of Cervical Lesions in Shiraz, South-west of Iran

Background and Aim: Determination of HPV genotypes in cervical lesions is essential in screening programs and the impact of current HPV vaccines. Therefore, we investigated the frequency of various HPV genotypes among different grades of cervical lesions. Materials and Methods: In total, 101 biopsy samples of different grades of cervical lesions were collected. Extracted DNA was subjected to PCR amplification of beta-globin to assess sample integrity. Duplex Taq-Man Real-Time PCR was performed to identify HPV types 16 and 18. Nested PCR following sequencing was done on those samples with HPV16/18 negative results. Results: The mean age of participants was 43±1. Out of 101 samples, 91 (90%) were infected with HPVs. In LSIL group, HPV genotypes 16, 18 and 51; in HSIL group, HPV genotypes 6, 16, 18, 31 and 53; in SCC group, HPV genotypes 6, 16, 18 and 3; and in AD group, HPV genotypes 16 and 18 were detected. Also, 49 (61%) of the samples had co-infection of HPV16 and HPV18. Conclusion: Our results show that HPV 16 and 18 were the most prevalent genotypes among different grades of lesions. The presence of low-risk HPV types, including genotypes 6 and 53, might need more attention in HPV screening and prevention programs.