Synthetic genes: a tool for identifying human papillomavirus genotypes by hybridization and polymerase chain reaction-based assays.

Obtaining positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) controls for human papillomavirus (HPV) diagnostic tests has been difficult because of prevalence variation in different geographic regions of each high-risk viral type. Overlapping oligonucleotides were designed for HPV-18, HPV-31, HPV-45, and HPV-58 type-specific (TS) sequences. Synthetic HPV viral genes were constructed by 2-step assembly PCR for accurately diagnosing TS HPV infection.