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
February 2024
TLDR HPV6/11 is often found in hair of men with anogenital warts, especially pubic hair, and can lead to recurrent warts.
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.
