The interferons and their use in condyloma acuminata

There are three naturally occurring interferons: alfa, beta, and gamma. Alfa, derived from lymphoblastic tissue, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of condyloma acuminata (genital or venereal warts). Genital warts are caused by human papillomaviruses, of which more than 50 subtypes have been described. Traditional therapies have centered on destruction of the lesions by either cytotoxic or physical modalities. Intralesional interferon exerts its antiviral effects on infected cells without causing damage to the surrounding tissue. In general, success rates with intralesional interferon alfa are comparable to traditional modalities. There is also evidence that interferon alfa might be particularly useful in the treatment of lesions that have failed to respond to other modalities.