Human papillomavirus in benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatic adenocarcinoma patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) types in tissue and HPV antibodies in prostatic disease. Prostate tissue samples were collected from 51 patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and 11 with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). All tissue samples were confirmed by histology. Plasma samples were available for 52 prostate patients. We investigated HPV DNA prevalence by PCR, and PCR positive samples were HPV type determined by sequencing. Prevalence of antibodies against twenty-seven HPV proteins from fourteen different HPV types was assessed in the plasma samples. The HPV DNA prevalence in the tissue samples was 14% (7/51) for prostate cancer samples and 27% (3/11) for BPHs. HPV-18 was the only type detected in tissue samples (10/62). No significant difference in HPV prevalence between the prostate cancer and BPH samples was found. HPV-positive cells were identified in eight of our thirteen prostate tissue slides (3/3 BPH and 5/10 adenocarcinoma) by in situ hybridisation, and the positive cells were found in epithelial cells and peripheral blood cells. Serology data showed no significant increase in levels of antibodies against any of the HPV-18 proteins tested for in prostatic disease patients. Antibodies against HPV-1, HPV-4, HPV-6 and HPV-11 were significantly higher in the group of males with prostatic disease. Our study did not show an association between prostatic disease and either presence of HPV DNA in samples or previous exposure of high-risk HPV.

Human papillomavirus DNA detected in peripheral blood samples from healthy Australian male blood donors.

Recent studies have shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA can be found in circulating blood, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), sera, plasma, and arterial cord blood. In light of these findings, DNA extracted from PBMCs from healthy blood donors were examined in order to determine how common HPV DNA is in blood of healthy individuals. Blood samples were collected from 180 healthy male blood donors (18-76 years old) through the Australian Red Cross Blood Services. Genomic DNA was extracted and specimens were tested for HPV DNA by PCR using a broad range primer pair. Positive samples were HPV-type determined by cloning and sequencing. HPV DNA was found in 8.3% (15/180) of the blood donors. A wide variety of different HPV types were isolated from the PBMCs; belonging to the cutaneous beta and gamma papillomavirus genera and mucosal alpha papillomaviruses. High-risk HPV types that are linked to cancer development were detected in 1.7% (3/180) of the PBMCs. Blood was also collected from a healthy HPV-positive 44-year-old male on four different occasions in order to determine which blood cell fractions harbor HPV. PBMCs treated with trypsin were negative for HPV, while non-trypsinized PBMCs were HPV-positive. This suggests that the HPV in blood is attached to the outside of blood cells via a protein-containing moiety. HPV was also isolated in the B cells, dendritic cells, NK cells, and neutrophils. To conclude, HPV present in PBMCs could represent a reservoir of virus and a potential new route of transmission.