OBJECTIVE: To establish a method for rapid detection and sub-typing of human papilloma virus (HPV). METHODS: We utilized the piezoelectric genosensor (PG) technique, which is a combination of the piezoelectric biosensor and gene chips for HPV identification in 22 recurrent biopsy specimens and 22 corresponding original biopsy specimens. The control samples came from normal tissue of healthy persons. A combined reaction took place on the sensor surface between the target genes and probes. The frequency of the piezoelectric sensor will decrease when such reactions occur, and the frequency decrease depends on the concentration of the target gene. Specimens were also analyzed with conventional PCR and dot blot. RESULTS: Of the 22 recurrent specimens, 15 contained HPV6 DNA, 2 HPV11 DNA, and 4 HPV16 DNA. Only one specimen was negative. All the 22 original specimens were positive: 17 harbored HPV6 DNA, 3 sequence homologous HPV11 DNA, and 2 HPV16 DNA. No HPV18 DNA was detected in any specimen. When compared with PCR and dot blot analysis, the results were essentially the same except for one specimen, which was shown to contain other sub-types of HPV. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the piezoelectric genosensor technique is a rapid and specific method to analyze HPV.
