Variants of human papillomavirus types 53, 58 and 66 identified in Central Brazil

The present study on molecular characterization of human papillomaviruses occurring in Central Brazil, describes two variants each of HPV-53 and HPV-58 and one variant of HPV-66 detected in samples from smears of women showing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade II (CIN II). Samples were assayed by PCR using MY09/MY 11 consensus primers, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism typing. The five isolates showed atypical restriction fragment length profile and MY09/MY11 L1 PCR products were subsequently sequenced. Isolate Bsb-02 and Bsb-08 showed, respectively, 99% similarity to HPV-58 IS404 and 100% to HPV-58 IS417 previously described in the African Continent. Isolates Bsb-61 and Bsb-63 showed 98% similarity to HPV-53, and isolate Bsb-68, 97% similarity to HPV-66. Amino acid substitutions were found in two samples: one in Bsb-02 (T to N) at position 375 and the other in Bsb-61 (S to C) at position 343. Although all the substitutions in Bsb-68 proved to be silent, this sample showed the highest value of pairwise evolutionary distance (2.05%). In countries such as Brazil, where the virus prevalence is high and ethnicity, as well as socio-demographic characteristics, vary according to different regions, HPV variability must be wider and not yet clearly defined.