Anal and oral microbiota characterization in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals with Human Papillomavirus infection

HPV is etiologically involved in the development of a significant proportion of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (up to 70%) and up to 90% of anal cancers. Although persistent infection with high-risk HPV genotypes is the primary cause for cancer development, only a small portion of HPV-infected individuals will ultimately develop malignant lesions. This observation suggests that other factors in the local microenvironment may play a role in progression from infection to cancer. The role of the human microbiome gained attention as a predicting biomarker of infection and as an important cofactor predisposing to cancer. However, little has been done to dissect the associations between HPV and microbiome in oral or anal infections. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to investigate the interplay between oncogenic HPVs and human microbiota in oral infections of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected subject.