Human papillomavirus infection is associated with decreased levels of GM-CSF in cervico-vaginal fluid of infected women

Background: Although human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection, there are very scant data about the influence of this virus on the in vitro fertilization outcome. Objectives: To assess the presence of HPV in the cervico-vaginal fluid in relationship to the in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome and to the concentration of selected cytokines, known to affect embryo implantation and gestation: granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). Study design: Cervico-vaginal samples were collected on the day of oocyte pick-up from 82 women. Vaginas were flushed with 50 mL of sterile water and 3 mL of fluid was collected. Results: Twelve women (15%) were positive for HPV. Interestingly, among HPV+ women live birth rate was about half of the rate in HPV- women, although the differences were not statistically significant due to the low number of cases. Cervico-vaginal samples of a sub-group of 29 (8 HPV+ and 21 HPV-) women were analyzed for GM-CSF and G-CSF by ELISA. GM-CSF but not G-CSF was significantly lower in the cervico-vaginal fluid of HPV+ than in HPV- women. Conclusions: Since GM-CSF plays an important role during pregnancy, the reduced levels of GM-CSF in the cervico-vaginal fluid of HPV+ women might contribute to explain the reduced live birth rate observed in HPV+ women. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.