Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a group of small and diverse viruses with a circular DNA genome, which are associated with the development of various benign and malignant neoplasms of the skin and mucosa. To date only three officially recognized HPV types cluster to the Mupapillomavirus (Mu-PV) genus (HPV-1, HPV-63 in HPV-204). In the present study we have developed and introduced a sensitive and specific broad-spectrum polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which enables amplification of the 375-bp fragment of E1 genes of all three Mu-PV types. We have used this newly developed PCR for testing DNA isolates extracted from surface swabs of skin warts (n=29) and swabs from the surface of Turkish sauna (n=55). Consequently, we have obtained one of the first data on the prevalence of Mu-PVs on the skin and in the environment. The presence of HPV-DNA was determined in 58.6 and 40 % of swabs of histologically confirmed skin warts and public surfaces, respectively. In one swab of the skin wart, we have identified a presence of a potentially novel HPV type, which is based on the partial nucleotide sequence of the E1 gene, phylogenetically most closely related to the newly described HPV-204.
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