Low prevalence of oral and nasal human papillomavirus in employees performing CO2-laser evaporation of genital warts or loop electrode excision procedure of cervical dysplasia

Acta Derm Venereol. 2015 Feb;95(2):173-6. doi: 10.2340/00015555-1912.

Abstract

Risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission during laser vaporisation of genital warts or loop electrode excision procedure is controversial. An oral rinse, a nasal swabs, history of HPV related diseases and data on HPV exposure were collected from 287 employees at departments of dermato-venerology and gynaecology in Denmark. A mucosal HPV type was found among 5.8% of employees with experience of laser treatment of genital warts as compared to 1.7% of those with no experience (p = 0.12). HPV prevalence was not higher in employees participating in electrosurgical treatment or cryotherapy of genital warts, or loop electrode excision procedure compared with those who did not. HPV 6 or 11 were not detected in any samples. Hand warts after the age of 24 years was more common among dermatology than among non-dermatology personnel (18% vs. 8.0%, p = 0.03). Mucosal HPV types are infrequent in the oral and nasal cavity of health care personnel, however, employees at departments of dermato-venereology are at risk of acquiring hand warts.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Condylomata Acuminata / surgery*
  • Condylomata Acuminata / virology
  • Denmark
  • Electrosurgery* / adverse effects
  • Female
  • Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests
  • Humans
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional
  • Laser Therapy / adverse effects
  • Laser Therapy / instrumentation*
  • Lasers, Gas / therapeutic use*
  • Mouth Diseases / diagnosis
  • Mouth Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Mouth Diseases / virology
  • Mouth Mucosa / virology
  • Nasal Mucosa / virology
  • Nose Diseases / diagnosis
  • Nose Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Nose Diseases / virology
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Occupational Health*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / diagnosis
  • Papillomavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / transmission*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / virology
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Assessment
  • Risk Factors
  • Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / surgery*
  • Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / virology