ABSTRACT
Understanding the importance of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in males in the etiology of either penile cancer or cervical lesions of their sexual partners is limited. HPV infection is sexually transmissible. Sixty-five percent of male sexual partners of HPV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-positive women also harbored the virus. A high percentage of the male sexual partners of women with genital tract abnormalities had visible genital lesions, and 6.1% of those biopsied showed histological evidence of penile intraepithelial neoplasia. Although obvious and subclinical HPV-related lesions in men can be successfully treated, controlling the infection in men does not seem to influence the rate of failure in the treatment of cervical dysplasia in their female sexual partners. Detection and quantitation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 RNA in the cell-free portion of the blood by the polymerase chain reaction is described as a useful assay for evaluating disease progression or in monitoring antiviral therapy.
