design and comparison of pcr-elisa reaction with other available hybridization methods to identify types 11, 16, and 18 of the human papillomavirus

Background and objectives: human papillomavirus (hpv) is a significant etiological agent in cervical cancer. this study aimed to evaluate the performance of pcr-elisa for detecting hpv genotypes 11, 16, and 18 compared to the conventional hybridization methods. materials and methods: pcr-elisa was designed and optimized to detect target hpv genotypes using biotin-labeled probes. sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility were assessed through intra-assay and inter-assay variability tests. additionally, a cost-benefit analysis was performed to compare pcr-elisa with rt-pcr and gel electrophoresis.results: pcr-elisa demonstrated high sensitivity (hpv18: 94.92%, hpv16: 98.36%, hpv11: 93.75%) and specificity (100% for all genotypes), with kappa values ranging from 0.84 to 0.92, indicating strong agreement with the reference standard. reproducibility analysis showed intra-assay cvs below 5% for most samples and inter-assay cvs within acceptable limits. the cost-benefit analysis revealed significant reductions in reagent and equipment costs compared to rt-pcr, making pcr-elisa a cost-effective alternative. conclusion: pcr-elisa offers a reliable, sensitive and cost-effective method for hpv detection, particularly in resource-limited settings. its simplicity and compatibility with existing workflows makes it a promising tool for routine diagnostic applications.