There is now compelling evidence that persistent infection with certain types of human genital papillomaviruses (HPV) may, after many years, lead to cervical cancer. However, HPV have been detected in asymptomatic women, infants and children. Several studies have demonstrated that infants can acquire high-risk HPV infections from their mothers at birth. Thus, the traditional view that cervical-cancer associated HPV infections are primarily sexually transmitted needs to be re-assessed. Accordingly, the role of mother to child transmission of cancer-associated HPVs may need to be investigated further. These facts are pertinent to those developing prophylactic vaccines to prevent high-risk HPV infections and cervical carcinoma.

Keywords:
Cancer, Papillomaviruses, Perinatal transmission
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1999
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