HPV Flashcards
HPV belongs to what family of viruses?
papillomaviruses
describe the structure of HPV
- small
- non-enveloped
- ds dna virus
how is HPV transmitted generally?
- through sexual contact / close personal touching
- # 1 STD globally
- most prevalent STD in the us
is HPV a family of viruses or a single subset?
- family
- 100s have been identified
what is the clinical presentation of HPV?
- majority = asymptomatic
- gentical warts = most common symptom
- cervial dysplasia can also occur - precursor for cervical cancer which can occur if left untreated
- other cancers can also occur but are less common (head/neck, anal, penile)
who experiences the majority of the HPV disease burden, men or women?
women
what would is indicated by a patient who has antibodies for HPV but receives a negative PCR test? what are the limitations of such a result?
- indicates that the person has been exposed to HPV at some point in their live
- but it does not dictate whether an infection has happened, if an infection has occured in the past or if an infection is currently present
what are the risk factors for cervical cancer? (5)
- lack of effective screening
- smoking
- multiparity (multiple kids)
- long-term use of oral contraceptives
- HPV
what are the risk factors for HPV? (6)
- age
- sex
- lack of condom use
- age of first inercourse/number of partners
- not beign circumsized
- co-infections (especiallly if other STIs)
why is age a risk factor for hpv?
- maturation of cervical mucosa
- cells that compose the cervix change as women mature (younger cells are most susceptive to HPV)
why does circumcision reduce the risk for hpv?
- the foreskin cells are sesceptible to hpv
- there is less surface area which decreases the risk of spreading
how is hpv transmitted specifically?
through endothelial cells not liquids
what is the natural cycle of an hpv infection? are all of these steps reversible?
normal cervix => hpv infection => initiated cancer => benign tumor => malignant tumour
-all are reversible except from benign to malignant
where does “regression” occur in the hpv cycle?
from initated stem cell cancer back to hpv infection
where does “clearence” occur in the hpv cycle?
from hpv infection to normal cervix
describe the anatomy of the cervix
composed of 3 sections:
- external os: opening to vagina (stratified squamous)
- endocervical canal (glandular epithelium)
- internal os: opening to uterus (stratified squamous)
what is the transformation zone?
area of the cervix where the squamous epithelium of the external os meets the glandular epithelium of the endocervical canal
what is the significance of the transformation zone with respect to hpv?
this is the area where hpv infects susceptible cells
what are the 3 possible outcomes after hpv infection of the transformation zone?
(1) clearance: the majority of infections result in viral clearance within 2 years of the infection
- immune system is engaged
(2) persistance: infection does not clear on its own
- hpv tethers itself to host dna and continuously repiicates at low levels building up a reserve
- the immune system is not engaged
(3) progression: small portion progress to initiated cervical cancer stem cells
describe initiated cervical cancer stem cells
- these cells have undergone genetic transformation as a result of the hpv infection
- are able (if left unchecked) to generate a benign cervical tumor
viral gene expression of the hpv genome is thought to be related to:
the state of differentiation of the infected epithelium
describe microabrasions as a mechanism for hpv infection
- sexual intercourse causes microtears within the genital tract due to friction
- hpv uses these as a portal of entry
what are basal keratinocytes
- hpv travles down and infects these
- these are the cervival cells at the layer farthest from the lumen
- from here there are two equally possible ways the virus can continue the infection process
define viral assembly as one of the 2 possible processes of hpv infection
- differentiation of hpv infected cells
- as infected keratinocytes differentiate they move up towards the mucosa bringing the virus with them
- the virus enters different stages of gene expression
- when they reach the lumen, the virus has assembled and is infectious
- virus is released into surrounding tissues spreading the infection
does viral assembly usually lead to hpv-mediated cancer?
no
where do the different stages of gene expression occur during viral assembly?
(1) suprabasal layer
(2) terminal karatinocyte
what is the type of gene expression associated with the suprabasal layer?
early stages: producing proteins that encode for viral dna
what is the type of gene expression associated with the terminal keratinocyte
late stages: producing proteins that encode for structural proteins
explain chromosomal integration as one of the 2 possible processes of hpv infection
- the virus integrates its genome into the host dna
- this can result in uncontrollable oncoprotein production and host cell transformation
does chromosomal integration usually lead to hpv-mediated cancer?
yes