Peroxidase-antiperoxidase evaluation of human oral squamous cell papillomas

In human beings, the viral origin of condylomatous lesions of the mouth and cervix, multiple papillomas, and verruca vulgaris of the larynx has been established. The viral origin of papillomatosis in rabbits and dogs has also been documented. The literature, however, shows no conclusive evidence of a viral origin of human oral squamous cell papillomas (SCP). The purpose of this study was to use the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) staining technique to determine whether human papillomavirus (HPV) antigens exist in serial step sections of human oral SCP. Fifty human oral SCPs were randomly selected from the department files, and tissue sections were subjected to an indirect immunoperoxidase-PAP technique. Evidence of HPV-Type I virus antigens was found in 2 of 50 papillomas studied (2 of 194 tissue sections). This suggests that all oral SCPs are not of viral antigen.