Frequent detection of papillomavirus DNA in clinically normal skin of cats infected and noninfected with feline immunodeficiency virus.

Feline cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) often contain felis domesticus papillomavirus type 2 (FdPV-2) DNA. While this may suggest FdPV-2 causes feline SCC development, the proportion of cats that are asymptomatically infected by this PV is unknown. Infection by feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is associated with high rates of cutaneous SCC development, possibly due to increased PV infection. This study examines the frequency of cutaneous asymptomatic FdPV-2 infections in cats and compares the rate of FdPV-2 infection in 22 FIV-positive cats with that in 22 FIV-negative cats. FdPV-2 sequences were detected in 39% of skin swabs. One or both swabs contained FdPV-2 DNA from 52% of the cats. FIV status, age or sex of the cat did not significantly influence FdPV-2 infection. Cats that shared a household with a PV-infected cat could remain uninfected suggesting infection depends more on host factors than exposure to the PV. These results indicate that asymptomatic FdPV-2 infections are common in cats, but do not provide evidence that FdPV-2 causes feline SCC development.