Distribution of Human papillomavirus load in clinical specimens

The information about the range and distribution of Human papillomavirus load in clinical specimens is important for the design of accurate clinical tests. The amount of Human papillomavirus in cervical specimens was estimated using the digene HC2 HPV DNA Test(®) (QIAGEN). This semi-quantitative assay is based on linear signal amplification with an analytical limit-of-detection of approximately 2500 virus copies per assay and 3-4 log dynamic range. The dynamic range of the assay was extended by a serial dilution strategy. Two large sets of positive specimens (n=501 and 569) were analyzed and 9-11% of specimens was estimated to contain more than 7 × 10(7) copies of virus. The viral load was also assessed for an assortment of specimens with known cytology diagnoses (n=9435) and histological diagnoses (n=2056). The percentage of specimens with more than 7 × 10(7) copies of virus was estimated to be 0.89 for normal cells, 4.2 for atypical cells (unknown significance), 14.31 for cells of low-grade lesions and 22.24 for cells of high-grade lesions. The viral load increased with disease severity, but its broad distribution may not support its use as a disease biomarker. This information is important for assay design and automation, where cross-reactivity and sample-to-sample contamination must be addressed rigorously.