Paediatric Virology and its interaction between basic science and clinical practice (Review)

Mammas, Ioannis N.; Greenough, Anne; Theodoridou, Maria; Kramvis, Anna; Rusan, Maria; Melidou, Angeliki; Korovessi, Paraskevi; Papaioannou, Georgia; Papatheodoropoulou, Alexia; Koutsaftiki, Chryssie; Liston, Maria; Sourvinos, George; Spandidos, Demetrios A.

Paediatric manifestations of HPV infections include skin warts, oral papillomas, RRP and anogenital warts (46, 47) . Additionally, asymptomatic infections of the oral or tonsillar mucosa, as well as of the genital mucosa in children have been described (46, 47) . Studies on HPV seropositivity in young children indicate a relatively low prevalence of HPV antibodies (approximately 0-10%) (48) . The seroprevalence significantly increases in adolescence with the commencement of sexual activity. Mucosal HPV infection is often described as a sexually transmitted infection; however, the presence of such infections in infants and young children suggests that the virus may also be vertically and horizontally transmitted. There is strong evidence that maternal HPV cervical infection at the time of delivery can be transmitted to the newborn and there is a strong association between development of juvenile RRP and the presence of maternal genital warts during pregnancy (49) . The detection of HPV DNA in spermatozoa and seminal plasma, as well as in amniotic fluid and placental tissue, suggests that peri-conceptual and prenatal transmission may also be possible (46, 47) . HPV can be transmitted horizontally (i.e., by kissing or touch) or to different sites by auto-inoculation (46, 47) . In the case of anogenital warts in particular, sexual abuse remains an important consideration. There are a lack of data on the persistence of HPV infections in children and their relation to the subsequent development of HPV-associated diseases, such as oropharyngeal carcinoma.