Maternal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and its possible relationship with neonatal prematurity

Although human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is considered a sexually transmitted infection, it can also be transmitted by non-sexual routes including perinatal transmission, autoinoculation and heteroinoculation and, possibly, indirect transmission via fomites.1-3 Acquisition of maternal genital HPV infection by infants at birth has been proposed by several researchers.2,4,5 Newborn babies are exposed to maternal cervical HPV infection which persists for at least six months.5 Neonatal infections are predominantly of HPV types 16 and 18 and persist in the neonatal genital area as well as in their oral cavity. In a study by Cason et al.5 the transmission rate of infection from …