HPV-16/18 (Cecolin)

Divergent Human Papillomavirus Genotype Spectra in Three Indigenous Communities of Venezuela: Implications for Vaccine Choice and Cervical Screening.

Garcés María Fátima MF, Guzmán Silva Jefferson J, Aranguren Daniel D, Figueira Lina L et al.

Background: Genotype-resolved data on human papillomavirus (HPV) are almost absent for Venezuelan indigenous women. Methods: We studied 260 women from La Guajira (Wayuu, n = 94), Maniapure (Eñepa, n = 141), and Delta Amacuro (Warao, n = 25), processing all self-collected samples with a single real-time PCR assay that resolves 21 genotypes; cytology was available for 144. Results: HPV prevalence was 55.4% (95% CI 49.3-61.3) and high-risk prevalence was 51.2% (95% CI 45.1-57.2), rising from 42.6% in La Guajira to 59.6% in Maniapure and 80.0% in Delta Amacuro (p = 0.001). Nineteen genotypes were detected. HPV-31 was most frequent (15.8%), followed by HPV-16 (11.5%), and each community had its own profile, with HPV-68 and HPV-56 leading in Delta Amacuro. Half of the infected women carried more than one type. Cytology and HPV testing overlapped little: 20 of 78 HPV-positive women with a smear (25.6%) had an abnormal result (κ = 0.056). At least one nonavalent vaccine type was present in 69.4% of infected women, compared with 30.6% for the bivalent vaccine. Conclusions: HPV vaccination is not part of the Venezuelan national program; these data favor the nonavalent formulation, and HPV-based screening would need a feasible triage pathway for the many women who test positive.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection-Associated Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition: Implication in Tumorigenesis and Pathogenesis of HPV-Positive Cancers.

Kabakov Alexander E AE, Matchuk Olga N ON, Khokhlova Anna V AV, Kaprin Andrey D AD

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a programmed and reversible process that allows epithelial cells to temporarily acquire a mesenchymal cell phenotype with increased migratory and invasive capacity. Analogous phenotypic modulation can also occur in carcinoma cells, which, after undergoing EMT, exhibit cancer stem cell-like properties and actively migrate, leading to tumor invasion and metastases. This structured narrative review focuses on the molecular crosstalk between human papillomavirus (HPV) and EMT, which occurs in HPV-infected human epithelium and in HPV-positive cancers of different location (cervical, head and neck, colorectal, lung, and others). The main questions addressed here are: (i) how HPV-driven EMT may contribute to the malignant transformation of HPV-infected epithelial cells, (ii) what mechanistic links may exist between the HPV positivity and EMT in human cancers, and (iii) how EMT in various HPV-positive human tumors may influence their pathogenesis, treatment modalities and outcomes. The relationship between HPV infection and EMT program is delineated as a complex multicomponent mechanism triggered by exogenous and endogenous stimuli and involving specific ligand-receptor interactions, membrane channels, transcription factors, signaling pathways, epigenetic regulators, etc. The review also discusses some of the potential applications of EMT-related biomarkers and molecular targets in the prevention, prediction and treatment of HPV-induced cancers.

Innovative vaccine strategies for sustainable control and eradication of peste des petits ruminants virus.

Bello Muhammad Bashir MB, Hameed Sodiq A SA, Abdullahi Adama Musa AM, Lawal Nafi'u N et al.

Meeting report of the fifth symposium organized by the coalition to strengthen the HPV immunization community (CHIC): Nairobi, Kenya - advancing sustainable HPV vaccination programs in Africa.

Bolio Ana A, Jennings Mary Carol MC, Burdier Ricardo R, Jindal Sakshi S et al.

HPV vaccination coverage across Africa has improved substantially in recent years but remains below elimination thresholds, with persistent gaps in reaching hard-to-reach populations and growing uncertainty around future financing. This report summarizes proceedings from the fifth regional symposium of the Coalition to Strengthen the HPV Immunization Community (CHIC), held in Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2025 in collaboration with Kenya's Ministry of Health. The three-day symposium convened over 100 participants from 22 African countries, including national immunisation program managers, ministry officials, researchers, civil society representatives, and global partners (WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, PATH, the Gates Foundation). The agenda, developed through stakeholder interviews and prior scientific and advisory input, centered on six subthemes related to program sustainability. Plenary sessions addressed epidemiological trends, national policy updates including Kenya's transition to a single-dose schedule, and implications of Gavi's upcoming consolidated funding model (Gavi 6.0). Country snapshot presentations and service-delivery case studies facilitated cross-country peer learning. On day three, though an electronic poll of helped to prioritize 12 candidate implementation themes, which structured subsequent round table working groups. Countries then developed individual action plans identifying priority challenges, responsible stakeholders, and implementation timelines. Sustainable service delivery, financing, and data systems emerged as the highest-priority implementation themes. Country action plans most frequently targeted data systems strengthening, communication and community engagement, sustainable service delivery, and financing mechanisms, with additional attention to service integration, hard-to-reach populations, and target population expansion. Cross-cutting synthesis identified recurring concerns regarding HPV vaccination for people living with HIV, fragmented data systems, the role of program integration, financing sustainability under evolving donor models, and underrecognized risks from misinformation, including emerging AI-generated content. The symposium reinforced CHIC's role as a platform for peer-to-peer learning across countries at varying stages of HPV vaccine introduction, surfacing shared structural barriers to sustainability alongside country-specific action plans. Findings underscore the need for sustained political commitment, financing transition planning, digital system strengthening, and multisectoral integration to support the WHO goal of cervical cancer elimination by 2030.