Aim: To determine if papillomaviral DNA is more frequently present within canine subungual squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) than in non-SCC digit lesions.
Methods: Total DNA was extracted from 23 canine subungual SCCs and 23 non-SCC digit lesions. The presence of amplifiable DNA within each sample was confirmed by amplifying a section of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH) gene. Two different consensus PCR primer sets were used to amplify papillomaviral DNA from the samples.
Results: The consensus primers only amplified papillomaviral DNA from the positive control samples. None of the 46 canine digit samples contained DNA that was amplifiable by the consensus PCR primers.
Conclusion: Papillomaviruses are unlikely to be a significant cause of canine subungual SCCs.
Clinical relevance: While circumstantial evidence suggests that canine subungual SCCs could develop due to papillomaviral infection, this study did not reveal any evidence to support papillomaviral aetiology of these neoplasms.