title: Presence of human papillomavirus in pterygium in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence and possible role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the formation of pterygia in patients in Taiwan, a tropical country with high prevalence of pterygium.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 62 patients with 65 pterygia were retrospectively examined. Ten normal conjunctiva, 8 conjunctival nevi, and 2 malignant conjunctival melanomas served as controls. HPV detection and typing were accomplished using polymerase chain reaction amplification of the viral sequences. HPV-positive specimens underwent further investigation with fluorescence in situ hybridization. Clinical histories were recorded for each patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on polymerase chain reaction analysis, 2 of 65 pterygia harbored HPV type 18, and they were also fluorescence in situ hybridization positive. No conjunctival control had HPV. There was no statistically significant correlation between pterygium and the presence of HPV. The presence of HPV was not significantly different between primary and recurrent pterygia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The limited presence of HPV DNA in pterygium does not conclude that HPV is necessary or acting alone in the formation of pterygium, but HPV may still be implicated to play a role in some pterygia in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taiwan; daggerDepartment of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Hsi
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: Bor-Heng
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kah-Wai
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ngan
authors.forename: Wen-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Lung-Kun
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Hsin-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hui-Kang
authors.forename: Ken-Kuo
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D052161:Human papillomavirus 18 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D011625:Pterygium / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral