Presence and type specificity of papillomavirus antibodies demonstrable by immunoelectron microscopy tests in samples from patients with warts.

Sera from 75 patients with warts were tested for antibodies against human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in an immunoelectron microscopy test. A group of 40 patients' sera were tested against a pooled suspension of the HPVs extracted from their warts and 90% of the sera were found to be antibody-positive. Prior to serological investigation viruses from a second group of 35 patients were typed by dot blot hybridization with HPV-1 and HPV-2 DNA. According to these results the patients were divided into type 1, type 2 and non-1, non-2 virus carriers. Sera of these patients were first tested for antibodies reactive with their homologous viruses and then for antibodies against type 1 virus. More than 80% of the patients possessed antibodies against their homologous viruses, but only a small minority of sera from type 2 and non-1, non-2 virus carriers were reactive with type 1 viruses. These results suggest that the antibody reactive in the immunoaggregation test is type-specific.