Genomic polymorphism of human papillomavirus type 52 predisposes toward persistent infection in sexually active women

We investigated the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 52 polymorphism in the persistence of HPV infection, which is a predictor for cervical lesions. Cervical samples obtained at 6-month intervals were tested for HPV-52 in 1055 women; 41, 12, and 58 women had persistent, transient, and unclassified HPV-52 infections, respectively. HPV-52 isolates were analyzed by polymerase chain-reaction sequencing of the long control region (LCR), E6, and E7 genes. Although age (odds ratio [OR], 0.90 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.81-0.99]), nonprototypic LCR (OR, 9.26 [95% CI, 2.1-41.7]), and E6 variant (OR, 7.04 [ 95% CI, 1.4-37]) were associated, in univariate analysis, with the persistence of HPV-52 infection, a nonprototypic LCR variant was the only independent predictor of it (OR, 14.1 [ 95% CI, 1.1-200]). In the latter variants, the loss of a binding site for a repressor of HPV expression was associated with the persistence of HPV infection (OR, 7.25 [ 95% CI, 1.67-31.25]).