A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Dynamics of Human Papillomavirus 6 and 11 Infection in Anogenital Hairs and Eyebrows of Male Patients with Anogenital Warts and Age-Matched Controls

This study followed 32 male patients with newly diagnosed anogenital warts (AGW) and 32 age-matched healthy controls to understand the dynamics of HPV6/11 infection in anogenital and eyebrow hairs. Over six follow-up visits, 43 AGW tissue and 1,232 hair samples were collected. HPV6/11 was found in 19.9% of patients' hair samples, with the highest prevalence in pubic hairs (29.0%) and the lowest in eyebrows (7.1%). No HPV6/11 was detected in controls. Factors like smoking, shaving, and age increased the odds of HPV6/11-positive hairs. A strong link was observed between HPV6/11 presence in hairs and visible AGW, with both declining over time. Sublineage HPV6 B1 cleared more effectively from hairs. Despite treatment, a significant number of patients experienced recurrent AGW episodes, with those having HPV6/11-positive hairs or visible AGW at previous visits being more likely to have visible AGW subsequently.