The significance of noncondylomatous wart virus infection of the cervical transformation zone. A review with discussion of two illustrative cases.

The clinicopathologic features are described of two patients whose cervical cytology smears showed features which were thought initially to indicate dysplasia, but which were later considered to be those of condylomata acuminata. One patient was an immunosuppressed renal transplant recipient, the other was a routine gynecologic clinic patient. No condylomas were recognizable clinically, and colposcopy showed only a flat but atypical transformation zone. Biopsy in each case showed a noncondylomatous warty lesion and wart virus particles were demonstrated by electron microscopy. These cases highlight the clinical, colposcopic, cytologic and histologic diagnostic difficulties which are encountered with cervical transformation zone wart virus infections, which are commoner than formerly realized. The possible relationship of wart virus infection to cancer of the cervix is also discussed.