Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (636 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Neoplasms of the skin and mucous membranes caused by papillomaviruses. They are usually benign but some have a high risk for malignant progression.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Papillomavirus Infection; Human Papillomavirus Infection; Human Papillomavirus Infections; Papillomavirus Infection, Human; Papillomavirus Infections, Human; HPV Infection; HPV Infections.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; DNA Virus Infections; Tumor Virus Infections
- Narrower topics
- Condylomata Acuminata; Warts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 50,220 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Papillomavirus Infections” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 15,629 of them (31.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 17,958 records.
Reviews account for 7,571 records (15.1%) and meta-analyses for 710. Randomized controlled trials number 1,434 (2.9%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 7,435 |
| 2000-2009 | 9,198 |
| 2010-2019 | 17,958 |
| 2020 onward | 15,629 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 7,571 | 15.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 710 | 1.4% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,434 | 2.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Papillomavirus Infections"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in infectious diseases
Infectious disease evidence combines microbiology, epidemiology and clinical trials. Laboratory studies identify pathogens and how they cause harm; surveillance and outbreak investigations describe who is affected and how infection spreads; trials establish whether treatments and vaccines work. Results depend on place and time, because pathogens evolve and resistance patterns and population immunity change. Check when and where the data were collected, how cases were defined and how up to date the evidence is.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The cervicovaginal microbiome: an emerging determinant of HPV infection and disease | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42489460 · DOI · PMC13483242 |
| Understanding the roots of hesitancy to unlock the game-changing impact of HPV vaccination: Insights from a global qualitative evidence synthesis | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42334459 · DOI · PMC13313240 |
| Bidirectional Interactions Between Cervicovaginal Microbiota and Human Papillomavirus Drive Persistence and Disease Progression | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42353329 · DOI · PMC13299599 |
The cervicovaginal microbiome: an emerging determinant of HPV infection and disease [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are epitheliotropic viruses that cause diseases ranging from cutaneous warts to invasive cancers.
- Closing excerpt
- Emerging in vitro and in vivo models provide powerful opportunities to address these outstanding questions and increase our understanding of trans-kingdom interactions that contribute to HPV infection and subsequent disease.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (220 words)
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are epitheliotropic viruses that cause diseases ranging from cutaneous warts to invasive cancers. HPVs exhibit tropism for the epithelial lining of the skin, oral cavity, and anogenital tract. A subset of HPVs, known as high-risk HPVs, have oncogenic potential and cause nearly one-third of all virus-associated cancers worldwide, including essentially all cervical cancers, most other anogenital cancers, and a growing percentage of head and neck cancers. A large and growing body of clinical and epidemiological research has established the host microbiome, or the collection of microorganisms on and within the body, as a key determinant of HPV infection, persistence, and disease development. In this review, an overview of the current understanding of associations between bacterial components of the host cervicovaginal microbiome (CVM) and aspects of HPV pathogenesis is discussed. Potential mechanisms through which the CVM influences HPV infection and neoplastic disease development are also presented. The inherent challenges of studying HPVs and the microbiome have impeded progress to define not only the underlying mechanisms involved in HPV-CVM interactions, but also the ability to address remaining questions such as causality, temporal dynamics, and the directionality of this relationship. Emerging in vitro and in vivo models provide powerful opportunities to address these outstanding questions and increase our understanding of trans-kingdom interactions that contribute to HPV infection and subsequent disease.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42489460 · DOI · PMC13483242
Understanding the roots of hesitancy to unlock the game-changing impact of HPV vaccination: Insights from a global qualitative evidence synthesis [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is one of the most powerful tools in cancer prevention and is central to global efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.
- Closing excerpt
- As countries worldwide aim to upscale and optimize HPV vaccination programs, incorporating insights from this review into HPV vaccination policy, program design and service delivery is essential and urgent.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (204 words)
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is one of the most powerful tools in cancer prevention and is central to global efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. Yet worldwide uptake remains suboptimal. Our 2025 Cochrane qualitative evidence synthesis - comprising 71 studies from diverse geographic and socioeconomic settings - provides the most comprehensive global understanding to date of caregivers' and adolescents' views and practices regarding HPV vaccination, and the reasons why some are reluctant to receive the vaccine. Our review found HPV vaccine decision-making to be influenced by a complex web of socio-cultural, political and trust-related factors, beyond awareness or a simple evaluation of vaccine benefits and risks. We synthesized these factors into eight overarching themes. Together these provide a novel conceptual framework of the multi-level, interacting influencing factors, distinguishing it from more narrow, individual HPV vaccination acceptance frameworks. In this commentary we describe this conceptual framework and propose how it might be used to inform strategies for improving HPV vaccine uptake in ways that are more person-centered, equitable and ultimately effective. As countries worldwide aim to upscale and optimize HPV vaccination programs, incorporating insights from this review into HPV vaccination policy, program design and service delivery is essential and urgent.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42334459 · DOI · PMC13313240
Bidirectional Interactions Between Cervicovaginal Microbiota and Human Papillomavirus Drive Persistence and Disease Progression [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus infection is a critical prerequisite for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer, yet viral factors alone do not fully explain why most infections clear while a subset persists and progresses.
- Closing excerpt
- This review integrates functional ecology, longitudinal clinical evidence, immunological and metabolic mechanisms, and translational implications, highlighting opportunities for microbiome-informed risk stratification and adjunctive interventions, as well as key gaps requiring standardized longitudinal multi-omics and rigorously designed clinical trials.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (212 words)
Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus infection is a critical prerequisite for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer, yet viral factors alone do not fully explain why most infections clear while a subset persists and progresses. Emerging longitudinal, multi-omics, and mechanistic evidence supports a plausible model in which the cervicovaginal microbiota is not a passive bystander but a functional determinant of mucosal immunity, epithelial barrier integrity, and local metabolic tone. Lactobacillus-dominant community states, particularly those enriched in Lactobacillus crispatus, are generally associated with lower pH, regulated inflammatory signaling, stronger barrier function, and a higher likelihood of HPV clearance. In contrast, anaerobe-enriched dysbiosis is linked to elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, altered antigen presentation, immune checkpoint signatures consistent with T-cell dysfunction, and metabolic shifts involving lactate depletion and accumulation of short-chain fatty acids and other metabolites that can influence epithelial and immune-cell programs. Importantly, the interaction is bidirectional: hrHPV can remodel the microenvironment by suppressing host defense peptides and perturbing mucosal barriers, thereby reducing Lactobacillus fitness and reinforcing dysbiosis in a feed-forward loop that favors persistence and oncogenic progression. This review integrates functional ecology, longitudinal clinical evidence, immunological and metabolic mechanisms, and translational implications, highlighting opportunities for microbiome-informed risk stratification and adjunctive interventions, as well as key gaps requiring standardized longitudinal multi-omics and rigorously designed clinical trials.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42353329 · DOI · PMC13299599
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Population-level impact and herd effects following the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccination programmes: updated systematic review and meta-analysis [4]
- Research article A meta-analysis of anal cancer incidence by risk group: Toward a unified anal cancer risk scale [5]
- Research article Cytology versus HPV testing for cervical cancer screening in the general population [6]
- Research article The vaginal microbiota, human papillomavirus and cervical dysplasia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Global and regional estimates of genital human papillomavirus prevalence among men: a systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Population-level impact, herd immunity, and elimination after human papillomavirus vaccination: a systematic review and meta-analysis of predictions from transmission-dynamic models [9]
References
- Spurgeon ME. The cervicovaginal microbiome: an emerging determinant of HPV infection and disease. . 2026. PMID 42489460 · DOI · PMC13483242
- Cooper S, Wiysonge CS, Jama NA, Leon N, Ryan J, Mavundza EJ, et al.. Understanding the roots of hesitancy to unlock the game-changing impact of HPV vaccination: Insights from a global qualitative evidence synthesis. . 2026. PMID 42334459 · DOI · PMC13313240
- Suárez-Rico DO, Rizo de la Torre LDC, Zermeño-Ruiz M, Balleza-Alejandri LR, García-Galindo JJ, Montoya-Fuentes H, et al.. Bidirectional Interactions Between Cervicovaginal Microbiota and Human Papillomavirus Drive Persistence and Disease Progression. . 2026. PMID 42353329 · DOI · PMC13299599
- Drolet M, Bénard É, Pérez N, Brisson M, HPV Vaccination Impact Study Group. Population-level impact and herd effects following the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccination programmes: updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2019. PMID 31255301 · DOI · PMC7316527
- Clifford GM, Georges D, Shiels MS, Engels EA, Albuquerque A, Poynten IM, et al.. A meta-analysis of anal cancer incidence by risk group: Toward a unified anal cancer risk scale. Int J Cancer. 2021. PMID 32621759 · DOI · PMC7689909
- Koliopoulos G, Nyaga VN, Santesso N, Bryant A, Martin-Hirsch PP, Mustafa RA, et al.. Cytology versus HPV testing for cervical cancer screening in the general population. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017. PMID 28796882 · DOI · PMC6483676
- Norenhag J, Du J, Olovsson M, Verstraelen H, Engstrand L, Brusselaers N. The vaginal microbiota, human papillomavirus and cervical dysplasia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. BJOG. 2020. PMID 31237400 · DOI
- Bruni L, Albero G, Rowley J, Alemany L, Arbyn M, Giuliano AR, et al.. Global and regional estimates of genital human papillomavirus prevalence among men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2023. PMID 37591583 · DOI · PMC10447222
- Brisson M, Bénard É, Drolet M, Bogaards JA, Baussano I, Vänskä S, et al.. Population-level impact, herd immunity, and elimination after human papillomavirus vaccination: a systematic review and meta-analysis of predictions from transmission-dynamic models. Lancet Public Health. 2016. PMID 29253379 · DOI · PMC6727207
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
See how EvidenceLib is built. Spotted an error? Email support@evidencehelix.com.
Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.