Genomic characterization of a novel human papillomavirus (HPV-117) with a high viral load in a persisting wart

Warts from immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients (OTR) persist over years and may progress into non-melanoma skin cancer. Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are considered the causal agents for the development of such warts. We isolated the novel type HPV-117 from a persisting wart by rolling circle amplification. One hundred eighteen warts from immunocompetent patients (IC) and 49 warts from OTR were analyzed by HPV-117 E6 type-specific PCR. As inferred from a phylogenetic analysis, the new type HPV-117 belonged to alpha-PV species 2, including the most similar types HPV-10 and HPV-94. The general prevalence of HPV-117 in warts was 2% in IC (2/118), and 12% in OTR (6/49). The high viral load in dysplastic cells of a Verruca vulgaris was shown by in situ hybridization. Our results suggest an active role of the novel type in the development of cutaneous warts of OTR. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.