Congenital cytomegalovirus infection in newborns suspected of congenital rubella syndrome in Iran: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Following rubella virus control, the most important cause of congenital infections is human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Congenital CMV (cCMV) may happen both in primary and non-primary maternal infections. The present study aimed to screen cCMV in symptomatic newborns suspected of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in Iran. METHODS: Out of 1629 collected infants' serum samples suspected of CRS but negative for rubella IgM, 524 samples were selected regarding cCMV complications. These samples were divided into two age groups: 1- one month and younger, 2- older than 1 month up to one year. Anti-HCMV IgM detection was performed on these serums. Then HCMV IgG avidity assay and HCMV DNA detection were carried out on all samples with positive and borderline results in IgM detection. RESULTS: Herein, 3.67% of symptomatic infants aged one month and younger had positive and borderline HCMV IgM, 12.5% of which had a low avidity index (AI). HCMV IgM detection rate among symptomatic infants older than one month to one year was 14.5%. Identified genotypes in this study were gB-1(63.63%), gB2 (18.18%), and gB3 (18.18%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive study was performed on serum samples of symptomatic infants clinically suspected of cCMV from all over Iran. There was a good correlation between serology findings and PCR.

Molecular epidemiology of human adenoviruses in children with and without respiratory symptoms: Preliminary findings from a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Human adenovirus (HAdV) is an important viral agent in children which can lead to severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Reports on molecular epidemiology of HAdVs in Iran are limited. This case-control study is conducted to compare the HAdV infection rate and molecular epidemiology among two groups of children with and without respiratory symptoms in Tehran, Iran during 2018-2019. METHODS: Nested PCR was performed on 120 oropharyngeal swabs taken from children aged five and younger with SARI who were hospitalized as the case group, and 120 oropharyngeal swabs were collected from children of the same age without respiratory symptoms as the control group. For positive samples Sanger sequencing was done and a phylogenetic tree was drawn afterward. RESULTS: Out of 120 cases, 8 (6.6%) tested positive for eachHAdV types including 6 (75%) HAdV-B7, 1 (12.5%) HAdV-C2, and 1 (12.5%) HAdV-C6. Among the control group, out of 120 samples, 8 (6.6%) were positive comprising 5 (62.5%) HAdV-C5, 2 (25%) HAdV-F41, and 1 (12.5%) HAdV-C6. CONCLUSION: The present study indicated a different viewpoint of HAdV molecular epidemiology in which the genotypes were compared in children with and without respiratory symptoms. HAdV prevalence was equally common in cases and controls but different genotypes were detected in these two groups. HAdV-B7 was the main type among children with SARI, dissimilar to children with no respiratory symptoms where HAdV-C5 was the predominant type. Detecting HAdV-F in oropharyngeal swabs was a rare finding, which requires further investigation.

Frequent detection of enterovirus D68 and rhinovirus type C in children with acute respiratory infections.

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of human rhinoviruses (HRVs) and the emergence of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) in children. A total of 322 nasopharyngeal swab samples were provided from children with an initial diagnosis of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. A total of 34 and 70 cases were positive for EV-D68 and HRV, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the clades A and B are the prevalent genotypes for EV-D68 and the HRV-positive samples belong to three types including HRV-A, HRV-B, and HRV-C. The results showed that EV-D68 and HRV-C are circulating in Iran especially in the winter.

Molecular Detection of Adeno-Associated Virus DNA in Cases of Spontaneous and Therapeutic Abortion.

BACKGROUND: Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have been found in human blood cells, cervical biopsies, and epithelial cell brushings, endometrium, and abortion material, which suggest their possible roles in the induction of miscarriage. OBJECTIVE: In this case control study, the presence of AAV DNA in placental tissue of spontaneous and therapeutic abortions was compared. METHOD: Placenta samples were evaluated for AAV DNA by hemi-nested PCR in miscarriages occurring in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy from therapeutic and spontaneous abortions. RESULTS: Eighty-one therapeutic abortions (control group) and 83 spontaneous abortions (case group) were evaluated. Sixty-two (38.2%) of 164 abortions were AAV positive, including 35 (21.6%) spontaneous abortions and 27 (16.6%) therapeutic abortions. CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant difference between the presence of the AAV genome in spontaneous and therapeutic abortions. This observation was consistent with other studies in this area.

Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Prevalence in Iranian Women with Normal Cervical Cytology: The Impact of Current HPV Vaccines.

OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is currently not included in the national vaccination program in Iran. Regional data on the distribution of HPV types in women are important as they can predict the impact of currently available vaccines and help health policy makers to consider all the possibilities with regard to HPV vaccination. METHODS: A total of 1,218 Iranian women with normal cervical cytology were included in this study. The presence of the HPV genome was investigated in all specimens by PCR assay, and all HPV-positive samples were genotyped. RESULTS: Totally, HPV was detected in 88 samples (7.2%). According to different geographical regions, the HPV prevalence varied: the highest HPV prevalence was observed in the North (11.7%) and the lowest in the Center (4.5%) of Iran, and this difference reached a statistically significant level (p < 0.05). In this study, the most frequent HPV types were HPV 16, 18, 66, and 11, representing 63.8% of all HPV infections. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, it is estimated that HPV vaccines could have a great impact on the prevention of cervical cancer in Iran. This study highlights the necessity of introducing educational programs in high schools, robust screening programs, and vaccination in Iran.

Seasonal influenza A/H3N2 virus infection and IL-1Β, IL-10, IL-17, and IL-28 polymorphisms in Iranian population.

Increased blood cytokines is the main immunopathological process that were attributed to severe clinical outcomes in cases of influenza A/H3N2 virus infection. The study was aimed to investigate the polymorphisms of IL-1ß, IL-10, IL-17, and IL-28 genes to find the possibility of their association with the clinical outcome of influenza A/H3N2 virus infection among the infected patients in Iran. This is a Case-Control study in which influenza A/H3N2 virus positive confirmed with real-time PCR were the cases. DNA samples from groups were genotyped for polymorphisms in rs16944 (IL-1ß), rs1800872 (IL-10), rs2275913 (IL-17), and rs8099917 (IL-28). Confidence interval (95%CI) and Odds ratio (OR) were calculated. IL-17 rs2275913 (GG and AG) were associated with risk of infection with that were statistically significant (P < 0.05, OR = 2.08-2.94). IL-1ß (rs16944) (GG) was associated with reduced risk of infection (P < 0.01, OR = 0.46). Genotype GG and GT of IL-10 (rs1800872) were associated with increased risk of infection with influenza A/H3N2 virus (P < 0.05, OR = 2.04-2.58). In addition, IL-28 (rs8099917) genotypes GG (P < 0.05, OR = 0.49) and TG (P < 0.05, OR = 0.59) were associated with reduced risk of ILI symptom while genotype TT (P < 0.01, OR = 4.31) was associated with increased risk of ILI symptom. The results of this study demonstrated that polymorphisms of genes involved in the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory process affect the outcome of disease caused by influenza A/H3N2 virus. Thorough insight on host immune response at the time of influenza A virus infection is required to ensure adequate patient care in the case of feature outbreaks. J. Med. Virol. 88:2078-2084, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prevalence and genotypic characterization of Human Parvovirus B19 in children with measles- and rubella-like illness in Iran.

Human Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a prototype of the Erythroparvovirus genus in Parvoviridae family. B19V infections are often associated with fever and rash, and can be mistakenly reported as measles or rubella. Differential diagnosis of B19V illness is necessary for case management and also for public health control activities, particularly in outbreak situations in which measles or rubella is suspected. To investigate the causative role of B19V infection in children with measles- and rubella-like illness, a total of 583 sera from children with exanthema were tested for presence of B19V by determining anti-B19V IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA as well as B19V DNA detection by nested PCR. DNA positive samples were assessed further for determination of viral load and sequence analysis by Real-Time PCR and Sanger sequencing method, respectively. Out of 583 patients, 112 (19.21%) patients were positive for B19V-IgM antibody, 110 (18.87%) were positive for B19V-IgG antibody, and 63 (10.81%) were positive for B19V viral DNA. The frequency of B19V-IgG antibodies were increased with age; that is children under 6 year old showed 7.11% seroprevalence for B19V-IgG as compared to 18.39% and 28.91% for age groups 6 to >11 and 11-14 years old, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the NS1-VPu1 overlapping region revealed that all sequenced B19V-DNA belonged to genotype 1. The results of this study may aid the surveillance programs aiming at eradicating measles/rubella virus in Iran, as infections with B19V can be mistakenly reported as measles or rubella if laboratory testing is not conducted.

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating in Iran during six waves of the pandemic.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance is necessary for the detection, monitoring, and evaluation of virus variants, which can have increased transmissibility, disease severity, or other adverse effects. We sequenced 330 SARS-CoV-2 genomes during the sixth wave of the COVID pandemic in Iran and compared them with five previous waves, for identifying SARS-CoV-2 variants, the genomic behavior of the virus, and understanding its characteristics. Methods: After viral RNA extraction from clinical samples collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, next generation sequencing was performed using the Nextseq and Nanopore platforms. The sequencing data were analyzed and compared with reference sequences. Results: In Iran during the first wave, V and L clades were detected. The second wave was recognized by G, GH, and GR clades. Circulating clades during the third wave were GH and GR. In the fourth wave, GRY (alpha variant), GK (delta variant), and one GH clade (beta variant) were detected. All viruses in the fifth wave were in GK clade (delta variant). In the sixth wave, Omicron variant (GRA clade) was circulating. Conclusions: Genome sequencing, a key strategy in genomic surveillance systems, helps to detect and monitor the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, monitor the viral evolution of SARS-CoV-2, identify new variants for disease prevention, control, and treatment, and also provide information for and conduct public health measures in this area. With this system, Iran could be ready for surveillance of other respiratory virus diseases besides influenza and SARS-CoV-2.

Assessment of influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) oseltamivir resistance during 2017-2019 in Iran.

Background and Objectives: Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) as an imperative antiviral for influenza prophylaxis and treatment are being consumed worldwide. Increasing use of these antivirals might be associated with drug resistance. Regarding the significance of these variations, this study aimed to investigate the mutations occurring in the NA gene of influenza A viruses leading to oseltamivir resistance during 2017-2019 in Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 40 influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) strains, isolated in National Influenza Center (NIC) from patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) during 2017-2019 were subjected to RT-PCR and sequencing of NA complete gene. The frequency of oseltamivir resistance and variation of NA amino acids in these strains were investigated. Results: No significant mutation conferring oseltamivir resistance was detected. However, NA antigenic sites in these strains depicted minor changes compared to the vaccine strains. Among H3N2 isolates, mutations at 329, 344, 346 and 385 and among H1N1 isolates mutations at 143 and 188 residues occurred in NA antigenic regions. Conclusion: Evaluation of NA gene sequences, showed no resistant viruses to oseltamivir. Given that the viruses in the present study were the last viruses circulating in Iran before COVID-19 pandemic, the results will be beneficial to have a worthy comparison with the strains circulating after the pandemic. Constant monitoring for the emergence of drug-resistant variants and antigenic changes are crucial for all countries.

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 genome detection by real-time PCR assay using pooled specimens.

Objective: To evaluate SARS-CoV-2 genome detection using pooled samples by RT-qPCR assay, compared to individual samples. Method: At first all samples were tested individually using two commercial methods targeting ORF1ab, NP and E genes. Then, four experimental groups of samples were pooled and evaluated using the same detection methods. Findings: Compared to the individual sample testing, the sample pooling conserved the sensitivity of the detection in all groups of pooled samples when the Ct value in single test was lower than 33. Conclusion: Specimen pooling may fail to detect positive samples with high Ct values. However, in scarcity of reagents or in population surveys, it could be considered as an alternative method in low prevalence settings.

The role of human papillomavirus infection in prostate carcinoma.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are associated with benign and malignant lesions of the female and male anogenital tract. Currently the possible role of HPV infections in prostate carcinogenesis is a subject of great controversy. In this study we aimed to investigate the role of HPV infection in prostate carcinoma (PCa). The study included formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 104 primary prostate adenocarcinoma cases and 104 control tissues of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). HPV-DNA was purified and amplified through MY09/MY11 and GP5(+)/GP6(+) primers and subsequently subjected to sequencing. HPV-DNA was found in 13 of 104 (12.5%) PCa and 8 of 104 (7.7%) BPH samples. High-risk HPVs were detected in 10 of 13 (76.9%) PCa and 5 of 8 (62.5%) BPH samples with positive HPV-DNA. Low-risk HPVs were detected in 3 of 13 (23.1%) PCa and 3 of 8 (37.5%) BPH specimens with positive HPV-DNA. There was no significant difference between PCa and BPH specimens regarding HPV-DNA presence or the detection of high-risk and low-risk types of HPV. Our data do not support the role of HPV infection in prostate carcinoma. Further studies are required to elucidate the role of HPV infection in human prostate carcinogenesis.

Potential of H1N1 influenza A virus as an air borne pathogen to induce infectivity in pancreas: a mouse model study.

INTRODUCTION: H1N1 influenza virus, as an indoor/outdoor pathogen in air, can cause the flu-like illness and respiratory complication. The aim of this study was to evaluate the H1N1 influenza virus replication in pancreas and investigate the immune response against infected pancreas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: First, mouse pancreas cell line was infected by H1N1 influenza A virus using intranasally and intravenously infection methods, and then the pancreas tissue was collected and pathology experiment was carried out. Next, the protein and genome of influenza virus were detected using immunocytochemistry and real-time PCR, respectively. In addition, serum cytokines and serum lipase were investigated using ELISA. RESULT: The in-vitro results proved that the mouse pancreatic cell line can support influenza virus replication. The result also proved that influenza virus is capable to infect pancreas and induce pancreas damage. Further, the immune response in mice with infected pancreas exhibited a completely different pattern with that of mice infected through intranasal method. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that influenza virus can infect pancreas and change the influenza disease pathway, which might result in a pancreatic injury.

Detection of human herpes viruses 1-5 in miscarriage: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Miscarriage is the spontaneous pregnancy loss before 24 wk of gestation. The incidence rate of miscarriage over the past few decades has shown steady or even growing trends. Viral intrauterine infections are one of the probable etiological causes of miscarriage. Previous evidence have shown that human herpes viruses (HHVs) could be considered as the potential reasons for intrauterine infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This case-control study aimed to detect HHV1-5 DNAs in placental tissues and assess their association with miscarriage during the first 24 wk of pregnancy in spontaneous and therapeutic abortions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Placental tissues from 83 women with spontaneous abortions during the first and the second trimesters of pregnancy and 81 women with therapeutic abortion during the same gestational age were collected. The DNA extraction was performed by the phenol/chloroform method. A part of the DNA polymerase gene of HHVs was amplified with multiplex nested-polymerase chain reaction. The polymerase chain reaction products were subjected to sequencing. RESULTS: The results showed the presence of human cytomegalovirus genome in the placenta of both spontaneous (8.4%) and therapeutic (4.9%) abortions. No statistically significant differences were found between these two groups. The other investigated viruses were not detected here. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, like some other studies, no correlation was detected between the HHVs placental infections and the increased risk of spontaneous abortions. In order to find the actual role of HHVs infections in miscarriage, further investigations should be performed on a larger sample size in different areas.

Molecular detection of HHV1-5, AAV and HPV in semen specimens and their impact on male fertility.

Viral infections have been considered as possible destructive factors that influence male fertility. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of human herpes viruses 1-5 (HHV1-5), adeno associated virus (AAV) and human papilloma virus (HPV) in semen and whether these influence semen quality. DNA extraction was performed using phenol-chloroform protocol, then three different nested-PCRs were done to detect HHV1-5, AAV and HPV DNAs in the semen samples. Of 145 samples, 66 (45.5%) were positive at least for one of the viruses. The genome detection rate of HSV1/2, VZV, EBV, HCMV, AAV and HPV were zero, 2.8%, zero, 1.4%, 27.6% and 19.3%, respectively. Of 66 positive samples for these viruses, 6 (4.1% of all samples) were positive for two viruses simultaneously. Here no association was found between variations in semen parameters related to fertility and detection of VZV, HCMV, AAV and HPV DNA in semen samples. It should be noted that the prevalence of different viruses in semen, and their relevance to male infertility, differs significantly due to the genome extraction and amplification methods or due to a real variation between study populations and geographical regions.

Molecular characterization of the glycoprotein and fusion protein in human respiratory syncytial virus subgroup A: Emergence of ON-1 genotype in Iran.

HRSV is a principle cause of infant hospitalization, childhood wheezing and a common pathogen in the elderly. Limited information exists regarding HRSV genotypes in Iran. In order to better understand HRSV strain diversity, we performed an in-depth evaluation of the genetic variability of the HRSV F protein detected in children under two years of age that, presented with acute respiratory symptoms during 2015-2016 in Tehran. A total of 180 nasopharyngeal swabs were evaluated. The HRSV positive samples were genotyped for G and F gene sequences using RT-PCR and sequencing methods. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood methods. Genetic and antigenic characteristics of the F gene, nucleotide and amino acids in significant positions and immune system binding regions, as well as the p-distance, positive/negative selection site, linear epitopes and glycosylation sites were investigated in all selected sequences. Among the 83 HRSV positive samples, the Fifty-five cases were successfully sequenced. All of them were classified as subgroup A and belonged to the ON-1 genotype, which possessed 72-nt duplication in the G gene. This study is the first report on the emergence of ON-1 in Iran. ON-1 Iranian sequences clustered in three lineages according to virus fusion (F) gene variations. F gene sequence analysis showed that all genetic changes in the isolates from Iran were base substitutions and no deletion/insertions were identified. The low dN/dS ratio and lack of positively selected sites showed that the fusion genes found in the strains from Iran are not under host selective pressure. Continuing and long-term molecular epidemiological surveys for early detection of circulating and newly emerging genotypes are necessary to gain a better understanding of their epidemic potential.

Prevalence of adeno-associated virus and human papillomavirus DNA in Iranian women with and without cervical cancer.

There is plenty of substantial evidence to support anti-tumor activity of viruses. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) may interact with human papillomavirus (HPV) to modify the risk of cervical neoplasia. The seroprevalence of AAV among women with cervical cancer has been reported to be lower than healthy ones. In spite of this finding, detection of AAV DNA in cervical biopsies does not entirely support the inverse association between AAV seropositivity and cervical cancer. This association is still controversial and requires more thorough evaluation in different countries. The aim of this case-control study was to find the prevalence of AAV and HPV DNA sequences in Iranian women with and without cervical cancer to assess the probable association of AAV infection and cervical cancer. In this study, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 61 cervical cancer cases and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were investigated for AAV and HPV DNA by semi-nested and nested PCRs respectively. AAV DNA was detected in 7 cases (14%) of HCs and 9 specimens (14.8%) of case group. According to the branching in the phylogenetic tree, AAV2 was the only type detected in this study. Moreover, HPV DNA was detected in 8 cases (16%) of HCs and 44 specimens (72.13%) of case group. In conclusion, a low proportion of cervical biopsies from Iranian women contained AAV-2 genome. No significant difference in correlation between HPV and cervical cancer in presence or absence of AAV genome in cervix was found.

The prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in Iranian patients with sinonasal inverted papilloma.

BACKGROUND: Inverted papilloma (IP) is an uncommon disease which arises in the mucosal membrane of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus. It has been proposed that human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causal agent in the pathogenesis of IP and plays a key role in the progression from benign IP to malignancy. As there are no prior studies that focus on an Iranian population, this study intended to characterize the prevalence of HPV types in benign and malignant forms of IP. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included a total of 40 IP patients [37 benign IP and 3 IP/squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)] who were referred to Amiralam Hospital in Tehran from 2004-2006. RESULTS: HPV was detected in 18.9% and 100% of IP and IP/SCC cases, respectively. In all HPV positive cases of IP and IP/SCC cases, HPV6/11 and HPV16/18 were detected, respectively. Therefore, HPV types were different between the IP and IP/SCC patients, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that HPV6 and 11 may be involved in the development of IP, but HPV16 and 18 likely play an important role in the progression from benign to malignant form of IP.

Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus and RNase L R462Q Variants in Iranian Patients With Sporadic Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have confirmed the association of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and prostate cancer, this association is still controversial, as most studies did not detect XMRV in prostate tissue samples. Furthermore, some genetic and epidemiological studies have highlighted a role for RNase L polymorphisms, particularly R462Q, in the progression of prostate cancer. OBJECTIVES: The focus of this study was on the association of XMRV and RNase L R462Q variants with the risk of prostate cancer in Iranian patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, 40 and 80 individuals with sporadic prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, respectively, were included. The presence of XMRV was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of integrase and nested-PCR for the gag genes. The RNase L R462Q polymorphism analysis was carried out by PCR and sequencing. RESULTS: In a total of 40 sporadic prostate cancer and 80 benign prostatic hyperplasia cases, no XMRV was detected by real-time PCR and nested-PCR. RNase L R462Q polymorphism analysis reveals that although there was an increase in the risk of prostate cancer correlated with the Q/Q allele of RNase L at position 462, the frequencies of the RNase L R462Q alleles were not statistically significant between the prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia groups (OR = 2.75 (95% CI = 0.67 - 11.3), P = 0.29). CONCLUSIONS: These results did not support the presence of XMRV in the samples with prostate cancer and showed that RNase L R462Q variants had relatively little or no impact on the risk of prostate cancer in Iranian population.

Prevalence of BK viremia in Iranian hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: BK virus (BKV) is a common human polyomavirus which infects up to 90% of the general population with little clinical significance and with various epidemiological patterns of infection. Immune suppression is considered the main risk factor for BKV reactivation. Owing to their impaired cellular and humoral immunity, patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) are at high risk of infectious diseases such as BKV infection. BKV presents with different distributions in different populations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of BKV in Iranian patients with chronic renal disease undergoing HD and PD. METHODS: Sixty-three HD patients and 33 PD cases from the main dialysis units in Tehran, Iran, were enrolled in the study. BK viremia was determined by qualitative polymerase chain reaction in all subjects. RESULTS: Sixty-three cases under HD (mean age 59.3 ± 14.5 years) and 33 subjects on PD (mean age 53.7 ± 13 years) were enrolled in the study. The mean duration of HD was 59.1 ± 53.8 months and the dialysis interval was three times a week. In the PD group, the mean duration of dialysis was 38.9 ± 35.2 months. The prevalence of BK viremia was 3.03% in PD and 0% in HD subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a low rate of BK viremia in chronic renal disease patients undergoing HD or PD. Differently from other studies in various populations, our results demonstrated low or absent BKV replication in Iranian dialysis patients, highlighting the varying epidemiological pattern of BKV distribution.

Lack of human papillomavirus DNA in colon adenocarcinama and adenoma.

BACKGROUND: Human papilloma viruses (HPV) have been detected in several types of cancers. Over the last few years, a possible correlation between HPV infection and colon cancers has been suggested. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of HPV-DNA in colon adenocarcinomas and adenomas to describe the relationship of HPV infection with these pathologic features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 70 patients with colon adenocarcinoma and 30 patients with adenoma (as study group) and 30 tumor adjacent tissues (as control). HPV-DNA was purified and first amplified through MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+ primers. Subsequently, for more precision, another PCR was performed using PGMY09/11 L1 consensus primer system. RESULTS: All tested adenocarcinomas and adenomas as well as normal tumor adjacent tissues were negative for all types of HPV in two PCR assays. CONCLUSION: Our results do not support the relationship between HPV infection and colon carcinoma or adenoma. Attributing a role to the HPV in the etiology of colon carcinogenesis will require further studies.