Abstract

Background This study examined the viral load and physical status of the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV-16) genome in non-cancerous, precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions. Methods Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to determine HPV-16 E2 and E6 viral load in 132 cervical specimens. E2/E6 viral load ratio was used to determine the physical status of HPV-16 genome. Results E2 gene viral load was a significant (P < 0.001) predicting biomarker in differentiating non-cancerous from precancerous and cancerous samples. E6 gene viral load was significantly different between the groups (P < 0.001). The specificity and sensitivity of E2 and E6 in distinguishing SCC samples were 100 and 95 respectively. Conclusion HPV-16 viral load measured through E2 and E6 genes is a reliable indicator of lesion type.