Detection of human papillomaviruses in cervicovaginal cells using polymerase chain reaction

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervicovaginal cells in normal individuals and in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). By use of a set of primers encoding the E6 region of the HPV genome, the presence of HPV DNA was demonstrated in the cervicovaginal cells of 43 (42.2%) of 102 normal individuals and in all 12 CIN patients. High sensitivity of the PCR method produced an additional 9 positive results on second sampling from 48 individuals who were initially HPV-negative. On the other hand, 26 (24.3%) of 107 HPV-positive individuals were HPV-negative when sampled a second time 5-7 days later. The data suggested that retest probably should be considered for patients clinically suspected of having HPV infection whose initial test results are negative for HPV DNA. Also, single HPV DNA-positive results should be accepted with caution.