Sanjiv Rughooputh

Trichomonas vaginalis: paradigm of a successful sexually transmitted organism

Abstract Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is one of the most successful protozoan pathogens and one of the most common sexually transmitted organism in females, yet it is also one of the most poorly investigated. By producing a wide array of glycosidases and cysteine proteinase enzymes, the organism can easily adapt to the environment, harvesting host proteins and DNA for metabolism. With the ability to cause lesions, vaginitis and acute inflammatory disease of the genital mucosa, TV acts as a potential catalyst in the acquisition of secondary infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), the organism responsible for the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. Treatment of TV infection is relatively easy and could dramatically reduce the transmission of HIV in areas where TV is endemic.

Expression of the c-myc oncogene and the presence of HPV 18: possible surrogate markers for cervical cancer?

Abstract The study aims to evaluate the cause of cervical cancer in a cohort of patients and to establish whether or not human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading risk factor and to determine whether or not c-myc oncogene over-expression is a predicative marker for the disease. Cone biopsy samples are examined from 53 patients diagnosed with either adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Results showed that 19% of the patients studied were positive for high-grade HPV 18 DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For the c-myc gene expression, only three (23%) of the 13 control slides were positive. Of 49 known cervical cancer patients examined, 41% were positive, 51% were negative and 8% were doubtful. Of those who were positive for HPV, only two were positive for a mutation in the c-myc gene and one slide gave a doubtful result. P value for hysterectomy patients was 0.23 and for cancer patients was 0.48. In the cervical cancer patients studied, the HPV 18 prevalence rate was very low compared to that found in other studies. Therefore, the presence of HPV and expression of the c-myc oncogene cannot be used as surrogate markers for cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer and human papillomavirus among slum dwellers in India

Abstract Almost half a million new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year worldwide. Human papillomavirus is recognised as one of the leading causes and is associated with 90% of cases. However, other risk factors (e.g., age of first sexual contact, number of sexual partners, multiparity, diet, genetic predisposition and environment) are also associated with cervical cancer. The present retrospective study is performed on a cohort of women from the slums of a major Indian city. The patients are aged between 38 and 68 years (mean: 49.3 years) and are multiparous (mean number of children: 3.4). In this group, 61% have a history of miscarriages. Histological sections from cone biopsy are tested for the presence of high-grade human papillomavirus (HPV) using GP5+/GP6+ and MY09/MY11 primers and a set of β-globin primers. Only 33% of the cancer patients studied were positive for high-grade HPV DNA, suggesting that predisposition to cervical cancer in this cohort is not highly associated with HPV, and that other risk factors may increase the risk of cervical cancer.

Detection of human papillomavirus from liquid-based cytology specimens by in-house PCR: a pilot study

Abstract The Papanicolaou smear remains the most common method for the detection of precancerous changes in cervical cytology. However, the introduction of a liquid-based cytology (LBC) technique expands the possibility of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) diagnosis, and permits detection of precancerous changes and human papillomavirus (HPV) simultaneously. In the pilot study reported here, using an in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, high-grade HPV was detected in 32% of a cohort of 38 patients. This conventional PCR method could be developed for use on a real-time PCR platform or in a microtitre-well format and subsequently automated.