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  Home > Activities supported by FCP Foundation > Science and Research > Different Types of HPV

Different Types of HPV

HPV is a lot more common in Surinam, Indonesia or Africa than in western countries. The percentage of HPV infection amongst Surinamese women with African backgrounds was 61%, whilst in countries like the the USA or the Netherlands where the disease is relatively rare, only 15% of the smears were infected. Another conclusion was that the Surinamese women are more often infected with various types of HPV at the same time, compared to American or Dutch women who are mostly infected with one type of HPV. This could mean that different types of the virus help each other to escape the immune system. It could also mean that infection with various types of HPV increases the chance of cells in the cervix becoming malignant. Comparing different countries provides more insight into the risk factors of cervical cancer and it offers clues for effective immunological treatment.

An analysis of cervical tumors showed that differences in the initial infection could be traced in the cancer cells. HPV 16 was found in 70% of the Dutch tumors and in the rest mainly HPV 18 was found. In Surinamese tumors, HPV 16 was found in 49%, other cases showed a combination of HPV 18 and a number of other types.

From the perspective of vaccine development, it is extremely important to study the role that the various types of HPV play in causing cervical cancer in different countries.