Host genetic polymorphisms associated with beta human papillomavirus seropositivity

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause superficial epidermal infections and are only cleared if they trigger an immunological response. We analysed SNPs that had previously been investigated for association with HPV infection to determine whether they play a role in the serological response to cutaneous beta-HPVs in an Australian population. Serum samples from 1,142 participants were analysed for seropositivity against the L1 protein of 21 beta-HPV types. Associations between seropositivity to beta-HPV types and the SNPs rs9264942 ( HLA-C ; HPV-9, p = 0.022, HPV-15, p = 0.043 and HPV-17, p = 0.004), rs12449858 ( EVER1 ; HPV-23, p = 0.029), and rs2981451 ( FGFR2 ; HPV-22, p = 0.049) were identified. We found that certain SNPs could be involved in the serological response to beta-HPVs.