Evaluation of a novel microplate colorimetric hybridization genotyping assay for human papillomavirus

Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) has been associated with cervical cancer. Developing assays for the identification of these viral types is of great importance for monitoring patients and controlling strategies. The development of the MCHA (microplate colorimetric hybridization assay), a PCR-based method for identifying six of the most common HR-HPV types (HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 39 and 45) is described. The MCHA combines the amplification with the GP5+/GP6+ consensus primers followed by PCR reverse hybridization with specific probes and detection through a colorimetric assay. The performance of the MCHA was evaluated using 108 DNA samples typed previously by the PapilloCheck^®. The agreement between both methods was 69.4% for HPV 16; 79.1% for HPV 45; 82.4% for HPV 18; 93.6% for HPV 31; 87.9% for HPV 33, and 17.6% for HPV 39. The assay had higher sensitivity than the Papillocheck^®, particularly for identifying HPV 16 and 18. The MCHA seemed to be sensitive and specific for the identification of the most prevalent HPV types in invasive cervical cancer, HPV 16, 18, 45, 33 and 31. It requires low-cost reagents and common laboratory apparatus.