COMPARISON OF SUBGENOMIC AND GENOMIC DNA PROBES FOR DETECTION AND TYPING OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS BY IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION

The purpose of this study was to compare the detection rates and speci fic type determination for human papillomavirus (HPV) using nonisotopi c genomic and subgenomic DNA probes. One hundred and seventy-five biop sies from the cervix, vulva, and penis were analyzed for sequences hom ologous to HPV DNA with a wide spectrum probes from Digene Diagnostics (Omniprobe) and ONCOR as well as the type specific genomic (Digene) a nd subgenomic (ONCOR) probe cocktails for HPVs 6/11, 16/18, and 31/33/ 35. The overall detection rates for the wide spectrum probes for tissu es with the histological features of HPV infection were 108/122 (88%) and 110/122 (90%) for Digene and ONCOR, respectively. The HPV positive tissues were reanalyzed with the HPV type specific probe cocktails. U nder low stringency condition crosshybridization was seen in 33% of ca ses with Digene type-specific genomic probes and in 5% of tissues with ONCOR subgenomic probes. We conclude that these commercially availabl e HPV ''wide spectrum probes'' are each excellent for the detection of HPV DNA in fixed tissues. However, the marked reduction in crosshybri dization with the ONCOR subgenomic probes facilitates the rapid, strai ghtforward determination of the specific HPV type by in situ hybridiza tion.