Prevalence of human papilloma virus type 5 DNA in lesional and non-lesional skin scales of Italian plaque-type psoriatic patients: association with disease severity.

Human papilloma virus type 5 (HPV-5) has been associated closely with psoriatic skin in Polish patients, while findings from other countries have indicated a more limited prevalence. The results of the present study, in which a type-specific nested PCR was used, indicated that scales of plaque-type psoriatic skin from 54 Italian patients had a high prevalence (74.1%) of HPV-5 DNA in lesional areas, and a reduced prevalence (33.