Correlation between deoxyribonucleic acid loads of human papillomavirus and recurrence of condylomata acuminata.

To determine the correlation between deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) loads of human papillomavirus (HPV) and recurrence of condylomata acuminata (CA), 31 cases of primary CA and 32 cases of recurrent CA were assayed for the HPV6/11 and HPV16/18 DNA loads by real-time fluorogenic quantitative PCR. The results showed 62 of the 63 cases were HPV6/11 DNA positive (98.4%). The ranges of HPV6/11 DNA contained in primary and recurrent CA were 1.4 x 10(3)-6.7 x 10(7) and 1.2 x 10(4)-3.6 x 10(8) copies/mL, respectively. Of the 62 cases which were HPV6/11 DNA positive, seven cases were also HPV16/18 DNA positive (11.3%). The ranges of HPV16/18 DNA levels in primary and recurrent CA were 1.9 x 10(3)-1.6 x 10(4) and 1.4 x 10(5)-1.7 x 10(7) copies/mL, respectively . The HPV6/11 and HPV16/18 DNA loads in recurrent CA were statistically higher than that found in primary CA (P = 0.041 and 0.023, respectively). The DNA loads of HPV6/11 were correlated with the duration, extent of the disease and frequency of recurrence. There is a significant correlation between loads of HPV DNA and recurrence of CA. These findings have important implications for the treatment of CA.