Evaluation of quantity and staining pattern of human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected epithelial cells in thin-layer cervical specimens using optimized HPV-CARD assay

Abstract

The results of the current study indicate positive correlations between the severity of the disease and the increased overall quantity of HPV-positive epithelial cells in cervical cytology specimens and accumulation of cells with punctate staining suggestive of integrated HPV. In summary, the developed HPV-CARD assay was found to provide novel information regarding the proportion and staining pattern of HPV-infected epithelial cells in different cytologic categories of cervical specimens.