Human papillomavirus infection of the male diagnosed by Southern-blot hybridization and polymerase chain reaction: comparison between urethra samples and penile biopsy samples.

A group of 108 healthy men aged 18 to 23 years underwent penoscopy after application of acetic acid. In 39 (37%) aceto-white lesions were found and a biopsy was taken. From 105 patients a urethra sample was collected with a brush. The prevalence of HPV-DNA by dot-blot and Southern-blot hybridizations (DBH/SBH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as the correlation between results from urethra samples and penile aceto-white epithelium were examined. In urethra, HPV-DNA was detected in four of the 66 patients (6%) with normal epithelium and in three of the 39 (8%) with aceto-white epithelium by using DBH/SBH. By PCR the corresponding findings were eight (12%) and 10 (26%) HPV-DNA-positive patients, respectively. Out of the 39 biopsy samples HPV-DNA was detected in six (15%) by DBH/SBH and in 17 (44%) by PCR. Twenty-two (56%) of the patients with aceto-white lesions were by PCR positive in either the urethra sample or biopsy. All samples positive by DBH/SBH were also positive by PCR except for one biopsy with HPV 35, a type not tested for by PCR. HPV 11 was the most common finding in urethra and HPV 6 and 16 in aceto-white epithelium.