Primary keratinocytes can be infected by natural isolates of genital human papillomavirus.

Viral particles of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 11 and 16 were isolated from flat condylomas and biopsies of dysplastic lesions and used to infect human keratinocytes. The presence of HPV DNA in infected cells was determined by molecular hybridization and the polymerase chain reaction. Late transcripts were detected shortly after infection. The persistence of HPV was limited to early passages after infection and the loss of viral DNA preceded cell culture senescence. Our experimental evidence supports the idea that pooling of several lesions can lead to the isolation of infectious HPV 16 virions.