Abstract
Background. Previous studies reported human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in middle ear tumors, whereas these viruses have been poorly investigated in chronic inflammatory middle ear diseases. We investigated HPVs in non-tumor middle ear diseases, including chronic otitis media (COM). Methods. COM specimens (n = 52), including chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) (n =38) and cholesteatoma (COMC) (n = 14), as well as normal middle ear (NME) specimens (n = 56) were analyzed. HPV sequences and DNA loads were analyzed by quantitative-PCR. HPV genotyping was performed by direct sequencing. Results. HPV DNA was detected in 23% (12/52) of COM and in 30.4% (17/56) of NME (p > 0.05). Specifically, HPV DNA sequences were found in 26.3% (10/38) of CSOM and in 14.3% (2/14) of COMC (p > 0.05). Interestingly, the HPV DNA load was higher in COMC (mean 7.47 copy/cell) than in CSOM (mean 1.02 copy/cell) and NME (mean 1.18 copy/cell) (P = 0.03 and P = 0.017 versus CSOM and NME, respectively). HPV16 and HPV18 were the main genotypes detected in COMC, CSOM and NME. Conclusions. These data suggest that HPV may infect the middle ear mucosa, whereas HPV-positive COMCs are associated with higher viral DNA loads as compared to NME.
Highlights
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is often associated with benign diseases and malignant tumors affecting the upper respiratory tract, including respiratory papillomatosis and oropharyngeal cancers [1,2]
This study shows that HPV sequences are present in chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma (COMC) and normal middle ear specimens
We show that the high-risk HPV type 16 (HPV16) and HPV18 are the main genotypes detected in CSOM, COMC and normal middle ear (NME) specimens
Summary
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is often associated with benign diseases and malignant tumors affecting the upper respiratory tract, including respiratory papillomatosis and oropharyngeal cancers [1,2]. Few studies are currently available for HPV in non-tumor middle ear diseases, such as chronic otitis media (COM), including chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma (COMC) [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. CSOM is a middle ear disease that relies on chronic inflammation. Previous studies reported human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in middle ear tumors, whereas these viruses have been poorly investigated in chronic inflammatory middle ear diseases. We investigated HPVs in non-tumor middle ear diseases, including chronic otitis media (COM). COM specimens (n = 52), including chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) =38) and cholesteatoma (COMC) (n = 14), as well as normal middle ear (NME) specimens (n = 56). HPV sequences and DNA loads were analyzed by quantitative-PCR. HPV DNA sequences were found in 26.3% (10/38)
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