USE OF FTA ELUTE CARD IMPREGNATED WITH CERVICOVAGINAL SAMPLE DIRECTLY INTO THE AMPLIFICATION REACTION INCREASES THE DETECTION OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DNA

This study aimed to evaluate the use of the FTA elute cardTM impregnated with cervicovaginal sample directly in the PCR amplification for detection of HPV-DNA. The results were compared to a reference technique. This method was more efficient than the protocol indicated by the manufacturer, identifying 91.7 % against 54.2 % of the positive samples. Key words: HPV, cervical cancer, FTA elute, molecular detection. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been associated with cervical cancer, and is considered a required prerequisite for the development of cervical cancer (15). This malignancy is the second most common type of cancer among women worldwide with incidence rate of 500,000 cases per year, of which 80 % come from developing countries (17). In Brazil, for the year of 2010, it is expected 18,430 new cases of cervical cancer, with a total risk figure of 18/100,000 women (10)