[Epidemiology and natural history of genital infection by human papillomavirus].

Human papillomavirus genital infection is a very common sexual transmitted disease, probably the most common of them. On one hand, this infection is more often than not transient and asymptomatic and induces an effective immunity which allows the infection cure; on the other hand it can be responsible for an intraepithelial lesion which can progress to an invasive cancer. In spite of the decrease of cervical cancer incidence thanks to Pap smear screening, it remains a real preoccupation for clinicians. If HPV is not sufficient for cervical carcinogenesis, it represents however a necessary factor. Near 100% of cervical cancers are indeed positive in HPV DNA. HPV infection is very frequent in young people aged less than 25 years and viral clearance average is 8 months. This clearance is the consequence of host immunity intervention which leads to spontaneous regression of infection and of the overwhelming majority of low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (more than 80% within a period of two years). The major factor which permits the progression to high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions is the persistent feature of HPV infection. Cervical cancer is clearly the first viral-induced solid tumor discovered in human species. Furthermore it represents a woman death cause that can be avoided.