On the nature of the deep cellular disturbances in human-papilloma-virus infection of the squamous cervical epithelium.

In the squamous epithelium of the cervix, disturbed deep cells, usually regarded as dysplastic, often underlie superficial koilocytes. Recognition of koilocytosis as a cytopathic effect of human papilloma virus (HPV) prompts reconsideration of the state of the deep cells, which could be non-dysplastic or dysplastic. In the dysplastic states HPV could be non-causative or causative. For dysplastic causation by HPV, a cell-differentiation hypothesis reconciles the coexistence in the epithelium of a permissive HPV infection of the superficial layers (koilocytosis) and a non-permissive cellular infection of the deep layers, which may undergo transformation to dysplasia.