To determine the relation of the presence of HPV serum antibodies to presence of HPV DNA at the cervix in a large, longitudinal and population-based study with analysis of serial samples for specific antibodies to a large number of HPV types.
1848 women attending the organized national cervical cancer screening program in Slovenia on 2 different screening rounds 3 years apart were enrolled and tested for HPV DNA in cervical smears and for HPV specific antibodies (Abs) in serum, at both visits. Antibodies to HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68 and 73 were determined using HPV pseudovirions. HPV DNA genotyping used Linear Array.
Presence of HPV type-specific antibodies at any or both visits associated strongly with presence of HPV DNA of the same type. The association was present for all the oncogenic HPV types with an average OR for all the different types of 6.98 [95% CI 3.11-16.43]). Type specific Abs were mostly stable over time (65% of the initially seropositive women were positive at follow-up). Acquisition of antibodies from the first to the second visit was found in only 6% of baseline seronegative women and associated with HPV DNA detection at baseline (median p= 0.03) and for 5 of the HPV types also with self-reported new sexual partner.
A large-scale longitudinal study encompassing serology for 15 different HPV types finds that presence of HPV type specific serum antibodies associates strongly with presence of HPV DNA.