Comparison of Three Different PCR Methods for Quantifying Human Papillomavirus Type 16 DNA in Cervical Scrape Specimens

We compared real-time LightCycler and TaqMan assays and the GP5+/6+ PCR/enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to assess the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) load in cervical scrape specimens. Both real-time PCR assays determined the HPV16 load in scrape specimens similarly. The level of agreement between these assays and the GP5+/6+ PCR/EIA was low (P = 0.004), suggesting that the latter method is not suited for quantifying HPV16 DNA.