ANTIBODY-RESPONSE TO A SYNTHETIC PEPTIDE DERIVED FROM THE HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPE 6 11 L2 PROTEIN IN RECURRENT RESPIRATORY PAPILLOMATOSIS- CORRELATION BETWEEN SOUTHERN BLOT HYBRIDIZATION, POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION, AND SEROLOGY/

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is the most common benign t umour of the larynx, affecting both children and adults. We present a series of 25 patients, including 10 cases of juvenile multiple, 8 case s of adult solitary, and 7 cases of adult multiple RRP. Biopsy tissue from each patient was screened by Southern blot hybridization and poly merase chain reaction for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) D NA. Sera from patients and age- and sex-matched controls were tested f or the presence of HPV-specific antibodies using a synthetic peptide d erived from the minor capsid protein (L2) of HPV 6/11. By Southern blo t hybridization and/or polymerase chain reaction, biopsies from all pa tients were positive for HPV 6/11 DNA. There was no difference in anti body response between cases and controls. Female cases and controls ha d significantly higher antibody titers than male subjects. A correlati on was observed between the HPV-specific antibody level and the number of surgery-necessitating recurrences.