The hypothesis that cancer of the cervix is infectious was raised more than 150 years ago (Rigoni-Stern 1842). The first cell-free transmissions of papillomas were reported 95 years ago (McFadyan and Hobday 1898). A report of cell­ free trans-mission of human warts was published in 1907 (Ciuffo). Thus, since these initial discoveries papillomavirus research has had to go a long way before it became possible to link these infections to cancer of the cervix (Durst et al. 1983; Boshart et al. 1984). Table 1 lists a selection of the publications that form the basis for our present understand­ ing of the role of human pathogenic papillomaviruses (H PV) in human cancers. The identification of specific H PV types in cervical cancer in 1983, 1984 and in subsequent years substantially boosted activities in papillomavirus research. In part this is because cancer of the cervix ranks first in cancer incidence in develop­ ing countries and is an important cause of cancer death in affluent societies (Parkin etal. 1984; I.A.R.C. 1989). Premalignant cervical lesions, particularly in affluent soci­ eties, also contribute considerably to morbidity. Moreover, the availability of cell lines harboring H PV DNA and the identification of H PV genes as oncogenes have permitted in vitro analyses of H PV genome persistence, gene expression, and gene functions.Human Pathogenic Papillomavirus Types: An Update.- Primer-Directed Sequencing of Human Papillomavirus Types.- Evolution of Papillomaviruses.- Epidemiology of Cervical Human Papillomavirus Infections.- Functions of Human Papillomavirus Proteins.- Immortalization and Transformation of Human Cells by Human Papillomavirus.- Protein Phosphatase 2A and the Regulation of Human Papillomavirus Gene Activity.- Molecular Pathogenesis of Cancer of the Cervix and Its Causation by Specific Human Papillomavirus Types.- Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis: Immunological and Clinical Aspects.- Papillomaviruses and Cancer of the Upper Digestive and Respiratory Tracts.- In Vitro Systems for the Study and Propagation of Human Papillomaviruses.- Immune Response to Human Papillomaviruses and the Prospects for Human Papillomavirus-Specific Immunisation.- Vaccination Against Papillomavirus in Cattle.