Discussion
wart, cutaneous wart-associated, painless, verruca plantaris
WARTS, WART, VERRUCA PLANTARIS, VIRAL SHEDDING
In this study, a vast prevalence of HPV was found in cutaneous warts, with only a limited number of warts identified as negative for the analyzed HPV genotypes (2%). From a pre-analytical perspective, our findings confirm the efficient collection of test samples via a non-invasive, swab-based technique. The efficiency of painless collection via surface swabs has been described rendering swab samples a reliable tool to test for viral presence in skin lesionsIn concordance, the observed high HPV positivity rate also confirms efficiency at the analytical level. The cutaneous wart-associated HPV genotyping assay was carefully designed to ensure maximum sensitivityThus far, the largest study regarding HPV prevalence in cutaneous warts was conducted by Bruggink et al. and comprised 744 warts of 246 immunocompetent patientsTo the best of our knowledge, the most comprehensive study exploring HPV genotyping and including a viral load component was the study conducted by Skubic et al.In this population, HPV 27 and 57 exhibited significantly higher viral loads in comparison to other types, correlating with high viral shedding and associated highest infectious potential, which is translated in highest prevalence in the study populationThe multivariate analysis found significant associations between wart persistence and certain wart types, number of warts and HPV genotypes. Having verruca plana or filiformis significantly decreased the risk of persistence in comparison to verruca plantaris mosaic. The mosaic wart is already recognized as the most persistent wart type and was as well enriched in this study population (42%)