Relationship between human papillomavirus genotypes in and clinical characteristics of adult plantar warts

Objective To investigate human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in adult patients with plantar warts, and to explore their relationship with clinical features of adult plantar warts. Methods PCR, gene sequencing and TA-cloning technique were performed to detect HPV types in 221 patients with plantar warts. Meanwhile, clinical data were recorded, including patients′ age, disease duration, symptoms and number of warts. Results Of 221 specimens, HPV DNA was detected in 215, with the HPV-positive rate being 97%. Single HPV infections were detected in 206 specimens (96%, 206/215) , among which, HPV types included HPV-27 (44.7%, 92/206) ,-2 (12.1%, 25/206) ,-57 (7.3%, 15/206) ,-7 (Alpha genus; 0.5%, 1/206) ,-65 (Gamma genus; 0.5%, 1/206) ,-1 (33.5%, 69/206) and-63 (Mu genus; 1.5%, 3/206) . There were no significant differences in age, disease duration, number of warts, incidence of pain and gender among patients with HPV-27,-2 or-57 infections. Compared with patients with HPV-27 infection, patients with HPV-1 infection were more related to age ≤ 30 years, disease duration ≤ 1 year, number of warts ≤ 2 and high incidence of pain. Conclusion HPV-27,-2,-57 and-1 are the main types in adult patients with plantar warts, and HPV types are correlated with clinical features of adult plantar warts. Key words: Papillomaviridae; Genotyping techniques; Warts; PCR; Clinical features; TA cloning