What is the significance of HPV typing?

      HPV is a viral infection that can cause diseases such as genital warts, common warts, etc. It has been pointed out that the incidence of genital warts as a sexually transmitted disease is increasing. Long-term HPV infection can also cause cervical cancer, anal cancer and other diseases, which has led to increased attention on HPV. HPV is divided into low-risk and high-risk types, and the real meaning of HPV typing detection is explored.

      Research from various countries around the world has confirmed that cervical infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a key factor in the development of cervical cancer. It can be said that without HPV infection, cervical cancer is less likely to occur. But it does not mean that HPV will absolutely lead to cervical cancer. HPV can be divided into high-risk HPV and low-risk HPV. Generally, high-risk HPV is associated with cervical cancer, while low-risk HPV is associated with reproductive system diseases. In fact, 70-80% of women have been infected with HPV at some point in their lives, and most people will eliminate HPV within 1-2 years after infection depending on their own immune system. HPV infection spreads and is as common as fever and cold. Therefore, even if HPV infection is detected, there is no need to panic.

      It is worth noting that only persistent infection with high-risk HPV will lead to the risk of cervical cancer. Even for high-risk HPV, the side effects (carcinogens) vary in severity. Therefore, regular detection of HPV, especially its types, is very important. It can predict and analyze the risk of cervical cancer, and is important for clinical medical guidance.

      At this stage, our HPV analysis and detection can detect 15 high-risk HPV and 6 low-risk HPV. We can select the high-risk population of cervical cancer from the general population and develop a comprehensive patient solution based on the patient’s age, different HPV types, and cervix disease severity.

      HPV typing: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a papilloma vacuolar virus that belongs to the family of bovine multiple short head viruses. It is a spherical DNA virus that can cause proliferation of squamous epithelial cells of the skin and mucous membranes of the human body. Currently, more than 130 types of HPV have been isolated. Different types of HPV can be classified according to their invasive sites:

      1) Low-risk skin types: HPV1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, 15, etc. are associated with common warts, flat warts, and plantar warts.

      2) High-risk skin types: HPV5, 8, 14, 17, 20, 36, 38, and verruciform. Other malignant tumors related to HPV infection include vulvar cancer, penile cancer, anal cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer.

      3) Low-risk mucosal types, such as HPV-6, 11, 13, 32, 34, 40, 42, 43, 44, 53, and 54, are associated with other infected organs, anal openings, oropharynx, throat, and esophageal mucosa.

      4) High-risk mucosal HPV-16, 18, 30, 31, 33, 35, 39, and related to cervical cancer, rectal cancer, oral cancer, or tonsil cancer.

      Molecular biology specificity: HPV has strong resistance and can withstand dryness and long-term storage. It can be eliminated by heating or formalin solution and can be disinfected by high-temperature sterilization or 2% glutaraldehyde disinfection.