The immunology of animal papillomaviruses

Papillomaviruses are species- and tissue-specific double-stranded DNA virus es. These viruses cause epithelial tumours in many animals, including man. Typically, the benign warts undergo spontaneous, immune-mediated regression , most likely effected by T-cells (especially CD4, but also CD8 subsets), w hereas humoral immunity can prevent new infections. Some papillomavirus inf ections fail to regress spontaneously and others progress to malignant epit helial tumours. Additionally, the impact of these lesions is greater in imm unosuppressed individuals. Many therapies are ineffective, and there is muc h interest in the potential for immunological intervention in papillomaviru s infections of man and animals. Vaccination can be achieved with 'live' vi rus, formalin-inactivated virus, synthetic virus-like particles, and DNA va ccination. There has been much recent progress in the development of such v accines for papillomavirus infections in the rabbit, ox and dog. Success in these animal models suggests that similar approaches may prove useful for prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination against the important human papillo maviruses involved in the development of cutaneous and anogenital warts, la ryngeal papillomatosis, and cervical cancer. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.