COMPARISON OF PCR-BASED AND HYBRID CAPTURE-BASED HUMAN-PAPILLOMAVIRUSDETECTION SYSTEMS USING MULTIPLE CERVICAL SPECIMEN COLLECTION STRATEGIES

This study compared the performances of three human papillomavirus (HP V) detection tests with specimens collected by three alternative proce dures. The HPV tests included the Hybrid Capture Tube test (HCT), the microplate-based Hybrid Capture II test (HC II), and the MY0Q-MY11 L1 consensus primer PCR-based assay. Initial cervical specimens were coll ected from study subjects with a broom device, and after Papanicolaou smears were made, residual specimens were placed into PreservCyt (PC), a liquid cytology medium. A second specimen was collected from each s ubject and placed into Digene Specimen Transport Medium (STM). The dev ice for collection of the second specimen alternated with consecutive subjects between a conical cytology brush and a Dacron swab, At the 1. 0-pg/ml cutoff, the results of the HC II agreed well with those of the PCR. Specifically, when PCR data were restricted to the types found b y the HC II (HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, and 68), there was greater than 90% agreement between the HC II and P CR results with both STM and PC. At a lower cutoff (0.2 pg/ml), HC II- positive results increased further, especially when the test was appli ed to the PC specimens. However, false-positive HC II results were mor e often observed at the 0.2-pg/ml cutoff. HC II yielded the highest HP V positivity with specimens placed into PC, followed by specimens coll ected with a conical brash and placed into STM and, last, by those col lected with a Dacron swab and placed into STM. Our results demonstrate the utility of both the STM and PC specimen collection methods and sh ow good agreement between the HC II and PCR.