Full texts of all potentially relevant articles were then screened

Full texts of all potentially relevant articles were then screened. HPV antibodies against subsequent incident detection and persistent HPV positivity. Sources of heterogeneity for each type were assessed through subgroup analyses stratified by sex, anatomical site of infection, male sexual orientation, age group, and length of follow-up period. Evidence of a dose-response relationship of the association between levels of baseline HPV antibodies and type-specific HPV detection was assessed. Finally, we pooled estimates from publications reporting associations between HPV serostatus and type-specific HPV detection by baseline HIV status. Results We identified 26 publications (16 independent studies, with 62,363 participants) reporting associations between baseline HPV serostatus and incident HPV detection, mainly for HPV-16 and HPV-18, the most detected HPV type. We found evidence of protective effects of baseline HPV seropositivity and subsequent detection of HPV DNA (0.70, 95% CI 0.61C0.80, NE?=?11) and persistent HPV positivity (0.65, 95% CI 0.42C1.01, NE?=?5) mainly for HPV-16 among females, but not among males, nor for HPV-18. Estimates from 8 studies suggested a negative doseCresponse relationship between HPV antibody level and subsequent detection among females. Finally, we did not observe any differential HOX11L-PEN effect by baseline HIV status due to the limited number of studies available. Conclusion We did not find evidence that naturally acquired HPV antibodies protect against subsequent HPV positivity in males and provide only modest protection among females for HPV-16. One potential limitation to?the interpretation of these?findings?is potential misclassification biases due to different causes. Ombrabulin Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary Ombrabulin material available at 10.1186/s13027-023-00546-3. Keywords: Human papillomavirus, HIV/AIDS, Cervical cancer, Natural immunity, Infection, Meta-analysis Introduction Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted viruses, affecting 50% of sexually active individuals at least once in their lifetime [1]. Infection with HPV is associated with 7C8% of all human malignancies and accountable for 96% of cervical cancer, 93% of anal cancers, 64% of vaginal cancers, 51% Ombrabulin of vulvar cancer, 36% of penile cancers, and 63% of oropharyngeal carcinomas [2]. Among all high-risk HPV oncogenic types (HR-HPV), HPV-16 and HPV-18 account for 60C80% of all cervical cancers, one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and a leading cause of cancer death in women in many low-income countries [3C7]. Most HPV infections clear within 1C2?year by cell-mediated immune response and generation of serum neutralizing Ombrabulin antibodies (IgG) against the capsid L1 protein of HPV [1, 8]. However, while most of infections are cleared, some persist for years, which can lead to cell abnormalities and potentially to cancer, Ombrabulin if not promptly diagnosed and adequately treated [9]. Studies have shown the potential protective effect of neutralizing antibodies against subsequent infections when the immune response is initiated by HPV vaccines [10]. Currently, several prophylactic vaccines are available, which include: bivalent vaccines that offer protection against HPV-16/18, quadrivalent vaccines against HPV-6/11/16/18, and nonavalent vaccines against HPV-6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 [11]. The high protection (>?90%) against vaccine-targeted HPV-type incident infections, and HPV-related abnormalities and precancerous lesions, have been demonstrated by clinical studies [10, 12]. However, the extent to which naturally acquired, or infection-induced, antibodies can help prevent HPV reinfection remains poorly understood, especially with respect to the level and the duration of protection. One among many challenges in investigating the effect of naturally acquired antibodies against subsequent HPV infection is the role of latency and deposition, and consequently, the difficulties around.