Sequence variation in the L1 gene of human papillomavirus type 16 from Africa.

A 297 bp fragment of the HPV 16 L1 gene was sequenced from 35 isolates originating from normal cervical scrapes, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia biopsies and cervical carcinoma biopsies from South African women. A total of six point mutations that differed from the prototype HPV 16 sequence were detected in various combinations, giving rise to six distinct types of variants. Only one of the isolates had a sequence identical to the prototype. Our results indicate that the HPV L1 gene is conserved and there is no evidence that specific viral HPV L1 variants are associated with specific pathology.