Virological and immunological aspects in the juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis.

The juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis, a disease which in the absence of an adequate monitoring may have an invalidating character, represented for a long time a problem as regards both its treatment and its possible etiology. The use of monoclonal antibodies, as well as of molecular biology techniques, permitted to elucidate some aspects, such as the viral origin of the infection. Twenty five juvenile laryngeal papillomas, removed intra-operatively, were investigated immunohistochemically, a significant increase of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor being found. Ten samples were also analyzed with the PCR technique, for the purpose of detecting the presence of the corresponding DNA sequences of human papillomaviruses (HPV): all were positive. The HPV genotyping showed the presence of only the HPV6 and 11 genotypes.