Detection of human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid from vulvar dystrophies and vulvar intraepithelial neoplastic lesions.

Vulvar biopsy specimens from 16 patients with gross lesions of the vulva consistent with vulvar dystrophy were examined histologically and for the presence of human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid by southern blot hybridization. None of the nonatypical dystrophies probed positive for human papillomavirus; however, three of five atypical hyperplastic dystrophies (vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia) contained human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid type 16. We conclude that human papillomavirus does not seem to be a causal factor in nonatypical chronic epithelial changes of the vulva.