Low prevalence of HPV infection and its natural history in normal oral mucosa among volunteers on Miyako Island, Japan☆
Received 26 August 2003; received in revised form 19 October 2003; accepted 19 December 2003.
Abstract
Objective
To investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in normal oral mucosa, and to observe the natural history in the oral cavity in oral swab samples collected from healthy volunteers on Miyako Island, Okinawa, Japan.
Study design
The prevalence of HPV infection in oral buccal mucosa cell scrapes collected between 2000 and 2002 from a cohort of 668 healthy volunteers was determined. HPV DNA was detected by consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using MY09/MY11 primers followed by direct cycle sequencing. Just over 2 years later the HPV-positive participants were reevaluated.
Results
Of the 668 subjects, 662 samples were analyzed for HPV. HPV DNA was detected in 4 (0.6%) specimens. HPV type 16 (HPV16), HPV53, and HPV71, mucosal types, and HPV12, a cutaneous type, were all identified by direct sequencing. In the follow-up survey, the HPV71- and HPV12-positive participants again tested positive, while HPV DNA was not detected in the HPV16- and HPV53-positive participants.
Conclusion
The results of this study among healthy individuals from Miyako Island suggest that oral HPV infection is uncommon. In this cohort, HPV71 and HPV12 were persistent, while HPV16 and HPV53 were transient in normal oral mucosa.
Tokyo, Japan TOKYO MEDICAL AND DENTAL UNIVERSITY, NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR CHILD HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF RYUKYUS, AND ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
aGraduate Student, Molecular Pathology, Department of Oral Restitution, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan
bResearch Associate, Department of Reproductive Biology and Pathology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
cAssociate Professor, Division of Functional Genomics, Center of Molecular Biosciences, University of Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
dProfessor, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
eProfessor, Molecular Pathology, Department of Oral Restitution, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan
Reprint requests: Kazuyo Kurose, DDS, Molecular Pathology, Department of Oral Restitution, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8549 JAPAN
☆ This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 14031207 and 14370578) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
Portions of this study were presented at the 20th International Papillomavirus Conference, Paris, France, in 2002 and at the 19th International Papillomavirus Conference, Florianopolis, Brazil, in 2001.
ABSTRACT