The multiple HPV infections and their possible significance in predicting the risk of the cervical cancer

Infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) are detected frequently. The occurrence of persistent infection with oncogenic HPV type associates with the development of cervical cancer. However, the part of HPV infections consist of the multiple viral types. The influence of HPV co-infections on the risk of the development of cervical cancer is not clear, but the occurrence of more than one viral type seems to increase the risk of advanced lesions of the uterine cervix. Additionally, possible interactions (both positive and negative) between particular HPV types in co-infections may influence the risk of the lesions progression. Although, the issue of HPV co-infections is not well known, the previous scientific reports make that the introduction of the molecular methods, allowing the identification not only single but also multiple HPV infections, in routine diagnostics seem to be important. Here, we present the PCR-RFLP and Real-Time PCR methods as the useful tools in the diagnostics of HPV infections.