HPV test negative

We may not be familiar with HPV. It is not a common examination in daily life, but once this examination is done, it is likely to be a serious disease. HPV is actually the human papillomavirus. It mainly occurs in diseases of the reproductive system. This method is often used to examine genital warts, cervical cancer, and anal cancer among sexually transmitted diseases. So what does a negative HPV test mean?

Human papillomavirus is a genus of papillomavirus A belonging to the family Papovaviridae. It is a spherical DNA virus that can cause proliferation of the squamous epithelium of the human skin and mucous membranes. It manifests as symptoms such as common warts and genital warts (condyloma acuminatum). With the rapid increase in the incidence of genital warts among sexually transmitted diseases and the increase in cervical cancer and anal cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is attracting more and more attention. On October 27, 2017, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer published a preliminary list of carcinogens for reference. Human papillomavirus types 6 and 11, human papillomavirus β (except types 5 and 8) and γ are on the list of three categories of carcinogens.

Infection route

1. Sexual transmission;

   2. Close contact;

   3. Indirect contact: through contact with the infected person’s clothing, daily necessities, utensils, etc.;

   4. Nosocomial infection: Medical staff fail to provide adequate protection during treatment and care, resulting in self-infection or transmission of the infection to patients through medical staff;

   5. Mother-to-child transmission: It is transmitted through close contact between the baby and the pregnant woman’s birth canal.

   Clinical manifestations of human papillomavirus

   1. Benign skin manifestations

   (1) Common warts: Papules the size of rice grains, with obvious keratinization on the surface, rough and uneven, thorn-like tips, and a hard texture. The lesions may be single or multiple, and may gradually increase in number through self-inoculation. Mostly occurs in the hands, feet, etc.

   (2) Diseases manifested in special parts of the body:

   Periungual warts: occur around the fingernails and toenails, and are characterized by thickening and keratinization under the nail.

   Plantar warts: occur on the soles of the feet, and bleeding spots and black spots can be seen on the surface of the lesions due to pressure.

   Filiform warts: multiple, soft, thread-like warts that occur on the neck and eyelids

   Flat warts: They mostly occur on the face and are also common on the trunk. They are mostly flat papules 2-5mm in size, skin color or light brown, with a smooth surface, and are round or quasi-round. They are occasionally scratched due to itching, forming autoinoculation, or implanted along the surface of skin damage.

   2. Benign manifestations of external genital diseases

   (1) Genital warts (condyloma acuminatum): There are three states: typical manifestations, subclinical infection, and latent infection.

   (a) Typical manifestations: Typical skin lesions visible to the naked eye: papilloma-like, cauliflower-like, granular, cockscomb-like, etc.

   (b) Subclinical manifestations are difficult to identify with the naked eye and can only be observed with the help of a magnifying glass or acetowhite test. Histological and cytological tests show typical HPV pathological changes.

   (c) Latent infection is when HPV enters the cells of the skin and mucous membranes and does not cause any clinical manifestations or histological abnormalities, but can be detected in the cells of the skin and mucous membranes through molecular biological methods, nucleic acid hybridization, etc. Prone areas: Female vulva, vagina, cervix, around the anus, inside the anal canal, and urethral opening; male vulva, penis, testicular surface, urethral opening, around the anus, inside the anal canal, etc. Rare locations: armpits, navel, between toes, under breasts, etc.

   (2) Special areas: wart-like lesions on the surface of the oral mucosa, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, etc.

   There are currently preventive quadrivalent vaccines (HPV6, 11, 16, 18) available internationally that can prevent infection from these four types of viruses. Since most cervical cancers are caused by types 16 and 18, this can reduce most cervical cancers. Some scientific research has also shown that it has a certain degree of protection against other types. But the vaccine is not effective in preventing infection in people who are already infected. Circumcision of male foreskin is an important measure to prevent cervical cancer in women, and it is also an important measure to prevent men from contracting various sexually transmitted diseases. In some countries, circumcision of newborns and young children is a very good way to prevent HPV infection in adults and cervical cancer in spouses.

   (1) Physical therapy: The purpose is to remove visible tumors and subclinical infections. Methods include: laser, microwave, cryosurgery, electrocautery, surgical resection (LEEP knife for gynecology, etc.), photodynamic therapy, etc.

   (2) Drug treatment: 0.5% podophyllotoxin tincture, 5% imiquimod, 50% trichloroacetic acid, fluorouracil ointment, etc.

   (3) Immunotherapy aims to reduce recurrence and accelerate the clearance of lesions. Drugs include: interferon, interleukin, thymosin, transfer factor, BCG, isotretinoin, autologous vaccines, etc.