Impacts of HIV infection and long-term use of antiretroviral therapy on the prevalence of oral human papilloma virus type 16

J Oral Pathol Med (2012) 41 : 309–314 Background: The objectives of this study were to determine (i) the prevalence and the copy numbers of oral human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV‐16) in HIV‐infected patients compared with non‐HIV controls, and (ii) the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and its duration on the virus. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was carried out in HIV‐infected patients with and without ART and in non‐HIV controls. Saliva samples were collected, and the DNA extracted from those samples was used as a template to detect HPV‐16 E6 and E7 by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Student’s t‐test and ANOVA test were performed to determine the prevalence rates among groups. Results: Forty‐nine HIV‐infected patients: 37 on ART (age range, 23–54 years; mean, 37 years), 12 not on ART (age range, 20–40 years; mean, 31 years), and 20 non‐HIV controls (age range, 19–53 years; mean, 31 years) were enrolled. The prevalence of oral HPV‐16 infection and the copy numbers of the virus were significantly higher in HIV‐infected patients than in non‐HIV controls when using E6 assay (geometric mean = 10696 vs. 563 copies/10⁵ cells, P < 0.001), but not E7 assay. No significant difference was observed between those who were and were not on ART. Long‐term use of ART did not significantly change the prevalence of oral HPV‐16 infection and the copy numbers of the virus (P = 0.567). Conclusion: We conclude that the prevalence of oral HPV‐16 infection and the copy numbers of the virus are increased by HIV infection. Neither the use of ART nor its duration significantly affected the virus.