Why do HPV vaccines made from viruslike particles not cause HPV infection?

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Infographic showing estimated lives saved by childhood vaccinations worldwide from 1974 to 2024, with syringe-shaped bars for each disease. Measles tops the list at 93.71 million lives saved, followed by tetanus, whooping cough, and others, for a total of 153.84 million lives saved. — vaccine Vaccines and the estimates of lives saved over the period 1974–2024.

HPV vaccines made from viruslike particles (VLPs) do not cause human papillomavirus (HPV) infection because they do not contain any live HPV biological or genetic material.1

These vaccines are produced using recombinant technology, which allows scientists to create particles that mimic the structure of the virus without including the components necessary for viral replication or infection. Because the vaccine lacks the infectious genetic material required to cause disease, it is biologically incapable of inducing an HPV infection in the individual receiving it.1