immunology of infectious and parasitic diseases - XXXVII Congress ...

CERVICAL LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-1 BETA AND INTERLEUKIN-6 IN
RESPONSE TO HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS IN THE PRESENCE OF
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
LARISSA DODDI MARCOLINO (MSc) 1 ; CAMILA MARCONI (PhD) 1 ;
CAROLINA SANITÁ TAFNER FERREIRA (BSc) 1 ; GABRIEL VITOR SILVA
PINTO (BSc) 1 ; CRISTINA MARIA GARCIA LIMA PARADA (PhD) 2 ; MARCIA
GUIMARÃES SILVA (PhD) 1
1 Department of Pathology; Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Univ. Estadual
Paulista - UNESP – Botucatu-SP, Brazil;
2 Department of Nursing; Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Univ. Estadual
Paulista - UNESP – Botucatu-SP, Brazil;
Introduction: Infection by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most
commom sexually transmitted infections (STIs). HPV infection is frequently
associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV), an abnormal type of vaginal flora
characterized by the replacement of lactobacilli by the overgrowth of anaerobic
bacteria. Both, HPV and BV are associated with changes in the levels of
cytokines produced in the lower genital tract. Therefore, the aim of this study
was to compare the cervical levels of Interleukin (IL)-1b and IL-6 in HPVpositive
women according to the status of BV. Methods and Results: In this
cross-sectional study, a total of 161 women attending the gynecology service at
one unit of primary medical care in Botucatu-SP were enrolled. Only nonpregnant
women with ages between 18 and 50 years were invited to participate.
Women positive for endocervical infection by Chlamydia trachomatis and
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, in addition to those with candidosis and trichomoniasis,
were excluded. During speculum examination cervical samples were obtained
for the detection of HPV using polymerase chain reacion (PCR) and
mesurement of IL-1b and IL-6 levels by immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA).
Smears from the mid-third lateral vaginal wall were collected and submitted to
Gram stain for the microscopic diagnosis of BV, according to Nugent scoring
system. The comparison between the cervical levels of cytokines in response to
HPV infection in the presence and absence of BV was performed by the nonparametric
Mann-Whitney test, and the level of significance adopted was of 5%.
A total of 116 cervical samples tested positive for HPV and were assessed for
the levels of IL-1b and IL-6. From this total, 61 women presented normal pattern
of vaginal flora on microscopic analysis, while 55 tested positive for BV. The
measurement of the cervical cytokine levels showed increased IL-1b (median
267.9 pg/mL (range:0.0-998.9) versus 79.5 pg/mL (range: 0.0-848.4); p=0.01)
and decreased IL-6 (median 48.4pg/mL (range: 0.0-440.9) versus 118.2 pg/mL
(range: 0.0-917.7); p=0.01) in BV when compared with normal vaginal flora.
Conclusion: Bacterial vaginosis modulates the cervical levels of IL-1b and IL-6
in the presence of HPV infection.