Skoczyński M, et al. - In view of the possibility that perinatal infection may lead to HPV-related childhood diseases and relate to the risk of cervical cancer development in female offspring, researchers examined the incidence of common HPV 16/18 infections in newborns and their parents and investigated its role of the periconceptional transmission. One hundred forty-six pregnant women, as well as their partners, and newborns were tested for the presence of HPV 16/18 DNA using the PCR method. HPV DNA was identified in 19 (13,01%) newborns, 28 (19,18%) mothers, and 20 (13,7%) fathers. Fourteen newborns delivered by HPV-positive mothers, 12 descendants of HPV-positive fathers, and 10 children originating from two infected parents were positive for viral DNA. Based on these findings, the periconceptional transmission seemed to be possibly involved in the mode of acquired HPV 16/18 infections.