Human papillomavirus infection of the male diagnosed by Southern‐blot hybridization and polymerase chain reaction: Comparison between urethra samples and penile biopsy samples

Abstract

A group of 108 healthy men aged 18 to 23 years underwent penoscopy after application of acetic acid. In 39 (37%) aceto‐white lesions were found and a biopsy was taken. From 105 patients a urethra sample was collected with a brush. The prevalence of HPV‐DNA by dot‐blot and Southern‐blot hybridizations (DBH/SBH) and poly‐merase chain reaction (PCR) as well as the correlation between results from urethra samples and penile aceto‐white epithelium were examined. In urethra, HPV‐DNA was detected in four of the 66 patients (6%) with normal epithelium and in three of the 39 (8%) with aceto‐white epithelium by using DBH/SBH. By PCR the corresponding findings were eight (12%) and 10 (26%) HPV‐DNA‐positive patients, respectively. Out of the 39 biopsy samples HPV‐DNA was detected in six (15%) by DBH/SBH and in 17 (44%) by PCR. Twenty‐two (56%) of the patients with aceto‐white lesions were by PCR positive in either the urethra sample or biopsy. All samples positive by DBH/SBH were also positive by PCR except for one biopsy with HPV 35, a type not tested for by PCR. HPV 11 was the most common finding in urethra and HPV 6 and 16 in aceto‐white epithelium.