Lineages and sublineages of human papillomavirus type 16 in cervical samples of Iranian women

Aim: This study was designed to analyze intratypic variations of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) and to assess the risk of these variants for progression to cervical cancer. Materials & Methods: HPV16 variants of 58 women were determined by PCR-directed sequencing. Results: The most frequent lineage was D (67.2%) followed by A (32.8%). Lineage A was found predominantly in normal (62.5%) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia-1 (CIN-1) (83.3%), while lineage D was the most prevalent variant in cervical cancer (100%). Conclusion: The present study revealed a distinct pattern of HPV16 variants in Iran. Based on our data, the predominant HPV16 lineage was D and there was a significant association between lineage D variants and cervical cancer.