TY - JOUR T1 - The underestimated importance of acute infections by human papillomaviruses JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/144576 SP - 144576 AU - Samuel Alizon AU - Carmen Lía Murall AU - Ignacio G. Bravo Y1 - 2017/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/31/144576.abstract N2 - For human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and many other oncoviruses, there is a striking gap between our detailed understanding of chronic infections and our limited data on acute infections. We argue that studying the biology of HPV acute infections is necessary and timely. Disentangling early interactions will help explain why some infections become chronic or latent. A better description of immune effectors and pro-inflammatory pathways during the initial stages of infections can also lead to novel treatments, particularly immunotherapies. Furthermore, cervical cancer screening and vaccines impose novel iatrogenic pressures on HPVs, implying that monitoring viral epidemiological diversity and anticipating any evolutionary responses remain essential. Finally, given HPVs are ubiquitous worldwide, reports on the association between HPV acute infections and fertility deserve further investigations. Overall, the extent to which these ‘benign’ infections are virulent largely remains an open challenge.Key points Most HPV infections are acute and yet we know little about them compared to chronic infectionsAcute HPV infections might affect fertility or cause long-term detrimental effectsStudying acute infections may help prevent and treat chronic infections and cancers, e.g. via immunotherapies ER -