Papillomaviruses in human disease: Part I. Pathogenesis and epidemiology of human papillomavirus infections.

Papillomas of man and animals were shown to contain an infectious agent at the beginning of this century. Since then, various attempts were made to isolate the papilloma inducing agent. Electron microscopic studies later revealed that the agent is a virus, however all attempts to culture it with conventional virological techniques failed. It took until the development of molecular cloning techniques before a detailed study of this virus could start. Today it is clear that the papilloma-associated viral agent represents one of a very heterogeneous group of viruses, now referred to as papillomaviruses. They induce various neoplastic lesions of the skin and mucosal epithelia. Most interestingly, it emerged that particular types are associated with human cancers. Here, the virological and epidemiological aspects of human papillomaviruses will be reviewed. In a second article in the December issue of EJM the molecular biology and immunology of papillomavirus infections focusing on papillomavirus associated carcinogenesis will be discussed.