Premium
Viral load as a determinant for transmission of human papillomavirus type 16 from mother to child
Author(s) -
Kaye Jeremy N.,
Cason John,
Pakarian Farzin B.,
Jewers Richard J.,
Kell Barbara,
Bible Jon,
Raju Kankipati S.,
Best Jennifer M.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890440419
Subject(s) - viral load , transmission (telecommunications) , virology , sex organ , buccal swab , human papillomavirus , polymerase chain reaction , medicine , genital warts , viral disease , biology , virus , obstetrics , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , gene , genetics , electrical engineering , syphilis , engineering
Whilst genital papillomaviruses are commonly believed to be sexually transmitted, transmission of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV‐16) from mother to child at delivery has been described previously [Pakarian et al. (in press) British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology ]. In order to determine whether viral load in cervical/vaginal cells was an important determinant of transmission 15 pregnant women with HPV‐16 infections were studied. Eight of these women had infants who were positive for HPV‐16 DNA at genital and/or buccal sites. Viral load was estimated by laser densitometry of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. The eight mothers—four with a previous history of abnormal smears and two with previous genital warts— who transmitted infection to their infants had significantly higher viral loads ( P < 0.05) than those who did not. It is concluded that viral load is an important, but not the sole, determinant for the transmission of HPV‐16 from mother to infant. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.