Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most important risk factor for development of cervical carcinoma. Carriers of certain HLA class II alleles, e.g., DRB1*1501 and DQB1*0602, are more prone to HPV 16 infection and cervical carcinoma, whereas other alleles, e.g., DRB1*1301 and DQB1*0603, render carriers less susceptible to the disease. In our study comprising 484 cases and 601 controls, we examine the effect of HLA class II alleles on viral load of the oncogenic types HPV 18/45 and HPV 31 and risk of developing cervical carcinoma in situ. We find that carriers of the commonly reported protective DRB1*1301 and DQB1*0603 alleles have lower HPV 18/45 load compared to noncarriers and a lower risk of developing HPV 18/45-positive cervical carcinoma. This provides further evidence that the HLA class II-mediated immune response to HPV is important for controlling viral load and outcome of an infection.
(c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.