Warts in fish handlers

Fish handlers frequently suffer from hand warts. The clinical form and HPV type in these lesions were studied. Eleven individuals (10 fishmongers and one fisherman) with multiple hand warts were examined clinically and samples from their warts examined by Southern blot and reverse blot analysis. Clinically, with one exception, the warts were of the common type. HPV DNA was detected in all but one individual. HPV4 was found in one sample, HPV1 related virus in three, a virus hybridizing with both HPV27 and HPV2 in five (four individuals) and HPV7 in seven (six individuals). More than one type was detected in four individuals. HPV7 infection was related to the greater length of time spent in handling fish. These findings indicate that HPV7 is not, as was previously thought, found exclusively in those handling butcher meat and suggest that environmental conditions may be a factor in the clinical manifestation of HPV7 infection. The exact nature of a virus designated HPV2/27 and the significance of its presence in these fish handlers remains uncertain.