Kristian Kofoed, Christina Norrbom, Ola Forslund, Charlotte Møller, Ligita P. Frøding, Anders Elm Pedersen, Algirdas Markauskas, Maria Blomberg, Jane Baumgartner-Nielsen, Jakob Torp Madsen, Gitte Strauss, Klaus G. Madsen, Carsten Sand
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-1912

Risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission during laser vaporisation of genital warts or loop electrode excision procedure is controversial. An oral rinse, a nasal swabs, history of HPV related diseases and data on HPV exposure were collected from 287 employees at departments of dermato-venerology and gynaecology in Denmark. A mucosal HPV type was found among 5.8% of employees with experience of laser treatment of genital warts as compared to 1.7% of those with no experience (p=0.12). HPV prevalence was not higher in employees participating in electrosurgical treatment or cryotherapy of genital warts, or loop electrode excision procedure compared with those who did not. HPV 6 or 11 were not detected in any samples. Hand warts after the age of 24 years was more common among dermatology than among non-dermatology personnel (18% vs. 8.0%, p=0.03). Mucosal HPV types are infrequent in the oral and nasal cavity of health care personnel, however, employees at departments of dermato-venereology are at risk of acquiring hand warts

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