Phylogenetic features of papillomaviruses and their significance in the diagnosis of papillomavirus infection

Abstract

Viruses belonging to the Papillomaviridae family have been isolated from mammals, birds and reptiles. The analysis of the genome structure of more than 240 different types of papillomaviruses has made it possible to better understand their evolutionary path. The existing data indicate that many diverse evolutionary mechanisms have influenced their phylogenetic tree. For more than 400 million years, papillomaviruses have occupied various ecological niches. Niche sorting was followed by extensive periods of host-parasite co-evolution. Adaptation to different host tissues, as well as to changing environmental conditions can explain some features of the members of the Papillomaviridae family, one of which is human papillomavirus (HPV), having an important clinical significance. The study of the driving mechanisms of the evolution will help to change the notions about HPV virulence, character of its spread, epidemiology, as well as the pathogenesis and the course of oncologic diseases caused by it. This review highlights some moments of the evolutionary history of papillomaviruses which created a background for the development of oncogenic features of certain HPV types.