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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 2003, p. 431-438, Vol. 10, No. 3
1071-412X/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.10.3.431-438.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Human Papillomavirus-Specific Antibody Status in Oral Fluids Modestly Reflects Serum Status in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Individuals

Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology,¹ Department of Medicine,³ Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center,⁴ Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana²

Received 6 August 2002/ Returned for modification 26 November 2002/ Accepted 22 January 2003

Serological assays are valuable tools for studies of the epidemiology of human papillomaviruses (HPVs). The efficacy of a less invasive oral-fluid assay for detection of HPV antibodies was examined. Matched serum, saliva, and oral mucosal transudate (OMT) specimens collected from 150 human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients were tested for immunoglobulin G antibodies against HPV-6 and HPV-11 combined (HPV-6/11) and HPV-16 capsids. Antibodies to HPV were detected in both types of oral specimens. Seroprevalence rates were 55% for HPV-6/11 and 37% for HPV-16, whereas oral prevalence rates were significantly lower (for HPV-6/11 in saliva, 31%, and in OMT, 19%; for HPV-16 in saliva, 19%, and in OMT, 17%). HPV antibody detection in OMT more accurately reflected the presence of antibodies in serum than did HPV antibody detection in saliva. More stringent saliva assay cutpoints yielded stronger associations between oropositivity and seropositivity; less stringent OMT cutpoints yielded stronger associations between oropositivity and seropositivity. Although HPV antibodies were detected in oral fluids, further optimization of the assay is necessary before oral-fluid testing can be implemented as a reliable alternative to serum testing for HPV.