Effects of 2 and 3 Vaccinations With the Bivalent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine on the Prevalence and Load of HPV in Clearing and Persistent Infections in Young Women

Abstract Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load (VL) is associated with persistence, which increases cervical cancer risk. The bivalent vaccine protects against oncogenic HPV-16/18 and cross-protects against several nonvaccine types. We examined the effect of 2-dose (2D) and 3-dose (3D) vaccination on HPV prevalence and VL in clearing infections and persistent infections, 6 years and 12 years postvaccination, respectively. Methods Vaginal swabs collected from the “HPV Amongst Vaccinated and Non-vaccinated Adolescents” study (HAVANA, 3D-eligible) and HAVANA-2 (2D-eligble) participants were genotyped for HPV with the SPF10-DEIA-LiPA25 system. HPV VL was measured with type-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, and -45 clearing and/or persistent infection prevalence and HPV-16, -18, and -31 VLs in clearing infections were significantly reduced in 3D-vaccinated women compared to unvaccinated women. Except for HPV-11 and -59 clearing infections, no significant VL differences were observed among vaccinated women, ≤6 and >6 years post-vaccination. Infection numbers were low in 2D-eligible women, with no HPV-16/18 in vaccinated women. No VL differences for the remaining types were found. Conclusions 3D vaccination reduces HPV prevalence in clearing infections and persistent infections and decreases HPV VLs in clearing infections, 12 years post-vaccination for vaccine and several nonvaccine types. 2D-eligible women had low infection numbers, with no HPV-16/18 among vaccinated women. Three doses of the bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine targeting HPV-16/18 decreased the prevalence and viral load of vaccine types and several nonvaccine types in women. Infection numbers were low in younger 2-dose-eligible women, with no HPV-16/18 infections in vaccinated women.