Betapapillomaviruses frequently persist in the skin of healthy individuals

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Abstract
Infections with human papillomaviruses (HPVs) belonging to the genus Betapapillomavirus have been linked to the development of non-melanoma skin cancer. Although persistence is expected, systematic investigation of this aspect of betapapillomavirus (β-PV) infection has not been conducted. This study investigated the prevalence and persistence of 25 known β-PV types in the skin of immunocompetent individuals. Over a 2 year period, eight consecutive plucked eyebrow hair samples taken from 23 healthy individuals were analysed for the presence of β-PV DNA. Using a recently published general β-PV PCR and genotyping method, 61 % of the individuals were β-PV DNA positive for one or more types at intake, whereas during follow-up this percentage rose to 96 %. HPV23 was the most frequently detected β-PV type. Type-specific β-PV DNA was detected over 6 months or longer in 74 % of the individuals. In 57 % of the individuals, DNA from multiple β-PV types was detected simultaneously for 6 months or longer. When the detection intervals of all β-PV type-specific infections in the study population were considered, a substantial proportion, 48 %, lasted at least half a year. The consistent β-PV patterns found over time in most individuals strongly suggested that β-PV DNA detection in plucked eyebrow hairs reveals true β-PV infection. If the minimum interval of detection was set at 6 months, persistent β-PV infections were found in the majority of the study population (74 %).

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