Association between Quantitative High-Risk Human Papillomavirus DNA Load and Cervical

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a high-risk factor for cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (CIN) but the associa-tion between the quantitative HPV DNA load and the severity of CIN remains controversial. We conducted a community study to investigate the correlation between the two. Potential study subjects were selected through Pap smear screening in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan. Ninety-one subjects with either their first case of inflammation orzCIN1 by biopsy confirmation were assigned to a case group; 175 normal subjects with negative findings by Pap smears or biopsies were assigned to a control group. Cervical HPV load was detected with Hybrid Capture II assay for high-risk HPV infection, with nested PCR for high- and low-risk HPV infec-tion, and with type-specific PCR for HPV type 16 (HPV-16)