Human Papillomavirus Co-circulation on a Partially Vaccinated Partnership Network

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are among the most common sexually transmitted infections and a necessary cause of cervical cancer. In the context of vaccination against a sub-group of genotypes, better understanding the respective role of biological interactions between HPV genotypes and social interactions between humans is essential to anticipate what the vaccine impact could be at the population level. Here, we present a novel stochastic agent-based model formalizing the co-circulation on a human partnership network of multiple interacting genotypes, some of them being preventable by the vaccine (vaccine types) and others not. The model explicitly formalizes heterogeneity in sexual behaviors and allows exploration of distinct genotypic interaction mechanisms during intra-host co-infections. Using model simulations, we investigate infection dynamics after vaccine introduction in the population depending on assumptions about vaccine coverage and interactions between vaccine and non-vaccine genotypes.