Pathogenicity of high risk HPV infection in pseudocondyloma of vulvae and its carcinogenicity in inducing cervical lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To identify high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in pseudocondyloma of vulvae (PV) and the causal relationship between high-risk HPV infection and cervical cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients were divided into condyloma acuminatum group, PV groups and PV high-risk HPV infection group according to the clinical data and morphological features. Condyloma acuminatum group and PV group were two control groups. The exfoliated cells were detected and typed by human HPV nucleic acid typing kit. The gene fusion site of HPV and its potential gene integration mechanism were investigated using genome-wide sequencing and high-throughput virus integration screening techniques. The HPV integration frequencies of some key gene integration sites were calculated and some novel genes integration sites were identified.

RESULTS: The samples from PV high-risk HPV infection group showed both the pathologic manifestations of PV and the koilocytes caused by the virus infection. Suspected HPV virus particles with a density different from chromatin were observed from the samples of PV high-risk HPV infection group under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The intercellular desmosomes were regularly connected, and autophagosomes can also be observed in some cases. HPV genome was not detected in PV groups and PV high-risk HPV infection group due to the low copy number. HPV genome was only detected in condyloma acuminatum group.

CONCLUSIONS: PV high-risk HPV infection showed both the symptoms of PV and HPV infection with suspected HPV virus particles in cells.