The articles reported in this issue of the Archives raise several questions about warts that dermatologists and other physicians must deal with daily. How are human papillomaviruses (HPV) transmitted? How are warts clinically detected, when will HPV typing be available, and when should we use it? What is the significance of infection with HPV types associated with cancer? How do warts resolve and what is the role of the immune system? Although definitive answers cannot be provided, I will attempt a selective interpretation of current data (for a more complete literature review see reference 1).
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HPV
Rudlinger et al2 describe a periungual wart with dysplastic pathology in a patient with chronic genital bowenoid papulosis. The identification of HPV-35, an uncommon HPV type usually limited to the genital region, in both lesions suggested spread from the vulvar disease. The case report of Ostrow et al3 provides another