Immunogenicity of next-generation HPV vaccines in non-human primates: Measles-vectored HPV vaccine versus Pichia pastoris recombinant protein vaccine

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease worldwide. HPVs are oncogenic small double-stranded DNA viruses that are the primary causal agent of cervical cancer and other types of cancers, including in the anus, oropharynx, vagina, vulva, and penis. Prophylactic vaccination against HPV is an attractive strategy for preventing cervical cancer and some other types of cancers. However, there are few safe and effective vaccines against HPV infections. Current first-generation commercial HPV vaccines are expensive to produce and deliver.The goal of this study was to develop an alternate potent HPV recombinant L1-based vaccines by producing HPV virus-like particles into a vaccine that is currently used worldwide. Live attenuated measles virus (MV) vaccines have a well-established safety and efficacy record, and recombinant MV (rMV) produced by reverse genetics may be useful for generating candidate HPV vaccines to meet the needs of the developing world.We studied in non-human primate rMV-vectored HPV vaccine in parallel with a classical alum adjuvant recombinant HPV16L1 and 18L1 protein vaccine produced in Pichia pastoris. A combined prime-boost approach using both vaccines was evaluated, as well as immune interference due to pre-existing immunity against the MV.The humoral immune response induced by the MV, Pichia-expressed vaccine, and their combination as priming and boosting approaches was found to elicit HPV16L1 and 18L1 specific total IgG and neutralizing antibody titres. Pre-existing antibodies against measles did not prevent the immune response against HPV16L1 and 18L1.     

Vaccination against HPV: boosting coverage and tackling misinformation

The availability of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and screening tests has raised the possibility of globally eliminating cervical cancer, which is caused by HPV. Cervical cancer is a very common malignancy worldwide, especially among deprived women. High vaccination coverage is key to the containment and eventual elimination of the infection. Public HPV vaccination programmes in Italy and Denmark were swiftly established and are among the most successful worldwide. Still, in both countries, it has been challenging to achieve and maintain the recommended coverage of > 80% in girls. In a well‐studied Italian region, vaccination coverage in girls at age 15 years (World Health Organization''s gold standard) reached 76% in 2015 but decreased to 69% in 2018, likely due to work overload in public immunization centres. In Denmark, doubts about safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccine generated a decline in coverage among girls age 12–17, from 80% in 2013 down to 37% in 2015, when remedial actions made it rise again. Insights from these two countries are shared to illustrate the importance of monitoring coverage in a digital vaccine registry and promptly reacting to misinformation about vaccination.

Abbreviations

CC

cervical cancer

FVG

Friuli Venezia Giulia

HICs

high‐income countries

HPV

human papillomavirus

LMICs

middle‐income countries

WHO

World Health Organization

     

Evaluating the impact of human papillomavirus vaccines

While two prophylactic HPV vaccines have been proven notably efficacious in clinical trials, the effectiveness of these vaccines at the population level remains to be evaluated. To lay the foundation for understanding the strengths and limitations of different endpoints for future effectiveness research, we present a comprehensive review of HPV-related clinical outcomes, including: (i) HPV type-specific positivity and persistence, (ii) Pap diagnoses (ASC-US, LSIL, and HSIL), (iii) histologic cervical cancer precursor lesions (i.e., CIN1, CIN2, and CIN3), (iv) invasive cervical cancer (ICC), (v) anogenital warts, (vi) recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), and (vii) other HPV-associated cancers (vulvar, vaginal, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal). While research on the vaccines’ effects on these HPV clinical outcomes in the general population is presently limited, numerous large trials will soon be completed, making a priori discussion of these potential outcomes especially urgent. Furthermore, population level systems to track HPV-associated clinical outcomes may need to be developed for HPV vaccine effectiveness evaluation.     

Concurrent oral and genital infection with HPV DNA types 6 and 11 in a heterosexual male

Objective Detection of HPV DNA in oral and genital lesions of a heterosexual male. 4 months after oral and vaginal intercourse with a woman with vulvar warts. Passible modes of acquisition of oral HPV infection in the male sexual partner are discussed. Setting Genitourinary Medicine clinic. Methods Polymerase chain reaction amplification of genomic DNA from oral and genital lesions. HPV DNA typing by dot blot hybridization. Results HPV DNA types 6 and 11 were identified in a polypoid tongue lesion and in a penile wart from the male sexual partner. Conclusions The acquisition of oral HPV infection in the male sexual partner may have resulted from genital-oral HPV transfer, either by direct contact with vulvar warts or by digital self-inoculation.     

4666例妇女PCR检测HPV感染结果分析

目的:了解宫颈炎、宫颈及外阴赘生物、外阴疣等患者HPV感染的状况。方法:提取患者宫颈分泌物及脱落细胞、赘生物脱落细胞,用荧光定量PCR方法对提取物进行HPV6/11、HPV16/18检测。结果:4 666例患者中HPV感染率为25.50%;1 808例宫颈炎患者中HPV16/18型阳性率为13.38%;2 858例宫颈或外阴赘生物、外阴疣患者HPV6/11型阳性率为33.17%;228例同时接受了HPV6/11和HPV16/18型检测的患者中,有28例同时感染低危型及高危型乳头瘤病毒,占受检者的12.28%。结论:HPV在女性生殖道有较高的感染率,不同型别的乳头瘤病毒感染可导致不同的病变,HPV是影响女性生殖健康的重要危险因素;宫颈癌的年轻化与HPV感染低年龄段高感染率有密切关系;加强生殖健康宣传教育,提高性保健综合服务水平任重而道远。     

76例宫颈癌组织中人类乳头瘤病毒的检测

本文应用ＨＰＶ－ＰＣＲ技术和ＤＮＡ杂交技术对７６例宫颈鳞癌标本进行了ＨＰＶ－ＤＮＡ的研究，发现ＨＰＶ－ＤＮＡ存在率为９０．７９％（６９／７６），主要类型为ＨＰＶ１６和１８。多酶切ＳｏｕｔｈｅｒｎＢｌｏｔ杂交证实在宫颈癌中９２．５６％的ＨＰＶ－ＤＮＡ发生变异，说明ＨＰＶ－ＤＮＡ的基因变异与其致癌作用密切相关。ＰＣＲ结果证实ＨＰＶ－Ｅ６片段在宫颈癌组织中常可出现，推测可能是致癌的关键片段之一。因此，检测宫颈癌组织中ＨＰＶ－ＤＮＡ的完整性、关键基因片段的存在与否，可能对于病变恶变的预测有一定的意义     

Nucleic acid spot hybridization with nonradioactive labeled probes in screening for human papillomavirus DNA sequences

We examined 161 human tissue samples using the spot hybridization technique with nonradioactive labeled DNA probes of human papillomavirus (HPV). Whole cells were spotted on nitrocellulose filters; DNA of the cells was denatured and fixed to the filter. Then the DNA spots were hybridized to nonradioactive labeled DNA and monitored by a sandwich immunoenzymatic reaction. This technique is simple, sensitive, specific, requires no special equipment, and can be used in clinical settings. HPV DNA was found in 92% of samples in which, on the basis of histologic and colposcopic criteria, its presence was suspected, as well as in 31 samples where it was not suspected.     

Detection of human papillomavirus in organs of upper genital tract in women with cervical cancer

In this study, we evaluated the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in organs of the female upper genital tract, using nine hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy specimens affected by HPV-positive invasive cervical carcinomas, to establish if cervical HPV infection can spread to upper tracts of the female genital system. HPV DNA was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all cervical carcinomas as well as in all tracts of the genital system. Then, these data were compared with the results obtained from PCR study of five other hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy specimens (control cases). The criteria used for selection of the control cases were informed consent of the patients for research at the time of surgery, absence of neoplasms, absence of any anatomic lesion caused by HPV in cervix, and external genitalia. All selected cases were squamous cervical carcinomas. PCR analysis revealed HPV DNA in all cases of cervical carcinoma. The HPV DNA was detected as weak positivity on PCR analysis in other organs of the genital system. However, the distribution of HPV DNA varied in the various cases and in the different tracts of the same hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy specimen. We believe that the HPV DNA, detected as a weakly positive signal, in the upper genital tract of patients who have a cervical squamous carcinoma could be a reflection of a latent HPV infection, as well as a sign of the existence of micrometastases containing HPV DNA, which cannot be detected by conventional histologic techniques.