Comparison of sampling methods to measure HIV RNA viral load in female genital tract secretions.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Jaumdally SZ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6457130 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Comparison of sampling methods to measure HIV RNA viral load in female genital tract secretions.
Jaumdally Shameem Z SZ Jones Heidi E HE Hoover Donald R DR Gamieldien Hoyam H Kriek Jean-Mari JM Langwenya Nontokozo N Myer Landon L Passmore Jo-Ann S JS Todd Catherine S CS
American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) 20170123 3
<h4>Problem</h4>How does menstrual cup (MC) compare to other genital sampling methods for HIV RNA recovery?<h4>Method of study</h4>We compared HIV RNA levels between MC, endocervical swab (ECS), and ECS-enriched cervicovaginal lavage (eCVL) specimens in 51 HIV-positive, antiretroviral therapy-naive women at enrollment, 3 and 6 months, with order rotated by visit. Paired comparisons were analyzed with McNemar's exact tests, signed-rank tests, and an extension of Somer's D for pooled analyses acro ...[more]
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Project description:Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, primarily relying on neutralizing antibodies, have proven highly effective. Recently, HPV-specific antibodies have been detected in the female genital tract secretions captured by first-void urine (FVU), offering a minimally invasive diagnostic approach. In this study, we investigated whether HPV16-specific antibodies present in FVU samples retain their neutralizing capacity by using pseudovirion-based neutralization assays. Paired FVU and serum samples (vaccinated n = 25, unvaccinated n = 25, aged 18-25) were analyzed using two orthogonal pseudovirion-based neutralization assays, one using fluorescence microscopy and the other using luminescence-based spectrophotometry. Results were compared with HPV16-specific IgG concentrations and correlations between neutralizing antibodies in FVU and serum were explored. The study demonstrated the presence of neutralizing antibodies in FVU using both pseudovirion-based neutralization assays, with the luminescence-based assay showing higher sensitivity for FVU samples, while the fluorescence microscopy-based assay exhibited better specificity for serum and overall higher reproducibility. High Spearman correlation values were calculated between HPV16-IgG and HPV16-neutralizing antibodies for both protocols (rs: 0.54-0.94, p < .001). Significant Spearman correlations between FVU and serum concentrations were also established for all assays (rs: 0.44-0.91, p < .01). This study demonstrates the continued neutralizing ability of antibodies captured with FVU, supporting the hypothesis that HPV vaccination may reduce autoinoculation and transmission risk to the sexual partner. Although further protocol optimizations are warranted, these findings provide a foundation for future research and larger cohort studies that could have implications for the optimal design, evaluation, and implementation of HPV vaccination programs.
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