High viral load of human wart-associated papillomaviruses (PV) but not beta-PV in cutaneous warts independent of immunosuppression.
BACKGROUND
A broad spectrum of human papillomaviruses (HPV) has been detected in warts from immunocompetent patients and a much more diverse range from immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients (OTR).


OBJECTIVE
To determine the HPV types in warts from OTR, we assessed present infections of mucosal (alpha-PV), wart-associated (alpha-, micro- and nu-PV) and cutaneous HPV types (beta-/gamma-PV) in immunocompetent patients and OTR. Patients/methods Forty-one warts from 29 immunocompetent patients (non-OTR) and 53 warts from 33 OTR were analysed for DNA of human alpha-, beta-, gamma-, micro- and nu-PV. For frequent types viral load was determined by quantitative real-time PCR.


RESULTS
Compared with non-OTR prevalence of cutaneous HPV (79% vs. 49%, P < 0.01) and the number of multiple infections (62% vs. 17%, P < 0.0001) were significantly increased. The mean viral load of the wart-associated HPV was more than 10(5)-fold higher compared with human beta-PV in both cohorts.


CONCLUSIONS
The high load of wart-associated HPV suggests an active role of these viruses rather than cutaneous types in warts independent of immunosuppression; however, the substantial fraction of warts with low HPV genome copies remains to be explained.
Köhler
A
A
Charité, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy, Skin Cancer Center Charité, University Hospital of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Meyer
T
T
Stockfleth
E
E
Nindl
I
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000821:virology; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012867:Skin / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load; D014860:Warts / Q000821:virology*; D055815:Young Adult
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral