Divergent human papillomavirus type 16 variants are serologically cross-reactive

It is not known whether DNA sequence variants of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) are distinct serotypes. To examine this question, the reactivities of women's sera from Zaire (n = 97) and Denmark (n = 123) were compared in IgG-specific ELISAs based on virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of the L1 major capsid protein derived from an HPV-16 variant common in central Africa (Z-1194) or one common in northern Europe (114K). These L1s differ in seven amino acids. There was a strong correlation between reactivity in the two assays for both sets of sera (correlation coefficients, 0.73 and 0.85 for Zairian and Danish sera, respectively). In only 1 serum was there evidence for a specific reaction to one but not the other VLP variant. The results support the conclusion that the virions of strains Z-1194 and 114K are serologically cross-reactive.