Irritated seborrheic keratoses and benign verrucous acanthomas do not contain papillomavirus DNA

Sections from paraffin-embedded tissues of lesions thought to represent verrucous lesions (benign verrucous acanthomas: BVA) as well as materials from controls including seborrheic keratoses (SK), irritated SK, and verruca vulgaris from areas other than the genitalia were analyzed for the presence of multiple human papillomaviruses (HPV) including types 6, 11, 16, 18, and 33 using DNA amplification methodology. HPV DNA sequences were not found in amplified samples of BVA, SK, and irritated SK samples, but were identified in those obtained from verruca vulgaris. Our results suggest that BVA, SK, and irritated SK are generally not associated with HPV DNA even though certain of these lesions may histologically mimic the architecture of verruca.