  Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) are one of the most prevalent sexually
transmitted infections (STI) and the most oncogenic viruses known to humans.
The vast majority of HPV infections clear in less than 3 years, but the
underlying mechanisms, especially the involvement of the immune response, are
still poorly known. Building on earlier work stressing the potential importance
of stochasticity in HPV infection clearance, we develop a stochastic
mathematical model of HPV dynamics with an explicit description of the
intracellular level. We show that the random partitioning of virus episomes
upon stem cell division and the occurrence of symmetric divisions greatly
affect viral persistence. These results call for more detailed within-host
studies to better understand the relative importance of stochasticity and
immunity in HPV infection clearance.
