Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: The etiology and pathogenesis of pterygia remain unclear and the involvement of human papilloma virus (HPV) in pterygium formation is controversial. We evaluated 65 cases of primary pterygium for the presence of HPV DNA in a Chinese population in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 65 frozen pterygium, 23 pinguecula, and 88 normal conjunctival biopsy specimens were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction using 3 primer sets: MY09/MY11, L1C1/L1C2-1, and GP5/GP6. Results: We were unable to detect HPV DNA in any of the pterygium, pinguecula, or conjunctival specimens. Conclusions: HPV could not be detected in the pterygium, pinguecula, and normal conjunctival tissues from this Chinese population in Taiwan. These data suggest that HPV may have no pathogenic role in pterygia.
Keywords: Pterygium • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: ris • cornea: basic science