title: An analysis of clustering of betapapillomavirus antibodies.
abstract: Betapapillomaviruses (betaPVs) may contribute to the aetiology of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. However, no high-risk types have yet been identified, possibly because the high frequency of co-infection prevents a straightforward analysis of the independent effects of individual viruses. This study aimed to determine whether specific virus types were more likely to co-occur than others, thereby reducing the number of parameters needed in statistical models. Antibody data were analysed from controls who participated in case-control studies in The Netherlands, Italy and Australia and from participants in the German Nutrition Survey. Cluster analysis and two ordination techniques were used to identify patterns. Evidence of clustering was found only according to the number of viruses to which antibodies were detected. The lack of clustering of specific viral types identified suggests that if there are betaPV types that are independently related to skin carcinogenesis, they are unlikely to be identified using standard epidemiological methods.
authors.affiliation: Cancer and Population Studies Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mallitt
authors.affiliation: Cancer and Population Studies Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Bouwes Bavinck
authors.affiliation: Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abeni
authors.affiliation: DDL Diagnostic Laboratory, Voorburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M N C
authors.initials: MNC
authors.lastname: de Koning
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M C W
authors.initials: MCW
authors.lastname: Feltkamp
authors.affiliation: Cancer and Population Studies Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: DDL Diagnostic Laboratory, Voorburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W G V
authors.initials: WGV
authors.lastname: Quint
authors.affiliation: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.affiliation: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pawlita
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pfister
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weissenborn
authors.affiliation: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Waterboer
authors.affiliation: Cancer and Population Studies Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Neale
authors.affiliation: Cancer and Population Studies Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.lastname: The Epi-Hpv-Uv-Ca Group
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D052686:Betapapillomavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral