Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Human papillomavirus is the major cause of cervical cancer in women, throat cancer and ano-genital cancer and warts in both men and women when the infections fail to self-resolve. HPV is sexually transmitted, and the infection is acquired when one becomes sexually active; in many cases, it may persist for extended periods. Despite the availability of the preventive HPV vaccine, infection and transmission rates remain high due to low vaccine uptake and cancer rates caused by HPV continues to be a major health concern. Other microbiome studies have established that certain microbiome populations, specifically non-Lactobacillus dominant, play an important role in the establishment and persistence of HPV infections. Growing evidence indicates that the microbiome may shape the likelihood of long-term HPV infection, subsequent impact on risk of cancer among males and females, and potential association with HPV clearance. However, limited information exists on the specific microbiome profiles associated with HPV clearance. Our study will focus on analyzing the type of microbiomes that are associated with HPV clearance among young couples from Montreal, Canada, as well as the impact of temporal changes in these microbiomes on clearance. Results from this study will make contributions to the potential interventions in HPV infections and progress to cancers.