Detection of capsid antigen of human papillomavirus (HPV) in benign lesions of female genital tract using anti-HPV monoclonal antibody.

We established a murine monoclonal antibody (K1H8) to human papillomavirus (HPV) using alkaline-disrupted virions of HPV type 1 (HPV-1) as the immunogen. K1H8 recognized a 57 kD capsid protein of HPV-1 and detected the antigen in paraffin sections of formalin-fixed tissue. With K1H8, we examined immunohistochemically 68 biopsy specimens obtained from the female genital tract. The specimens were histologically condyloma acuminatum or koilocytotic lesions with or without dysplasia and each specimen was found to harbour a single type of genital HPV, such as types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 42, 51, 52, 56, and 58, by Southern blot hybridization analysis. The antigen was localized in the nuclei and occasionally in the cytoplasm of squamous cells showing koilocytotic changes. Eighty-four per cent of the specimens (57 cases) showed positivity for the antigen, indicating that K1H8 is a broadly-reactive antibody to various genital HPVs. The results suggest that benign mucosal lesions of the female genital tract are more frequently associated with viral production and are a potential source of transmission.