Identification of human papilloma virus type 6 in psoriasiform keratosis

Psoriasiform keratosis is a recently reported unique clinicopathological entity characterized by the appearance of a solitary lesion mimicking seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, or squamous cell carcinoma and histopathologic features closely resembling psoriasis. We report a 74-year-old woman presenting with a solitary, scaly lesion on the dorsum of the left arm of several months duration and histopathologic findings of psoriasiform acanthosis of the epidermis with thinning of the suprapapillary plates and intraepidermal spongiform neutrophilic pustules, consistent with a diagnosis of psoriasiform keratosis. On additional work-up investigation, human papilloma virus type 6 was detected in the tissue examined by polymerase chain reaction technique, an association not described before.