Warts

A wart is a virus classified within the Human Papilloma Viruses (HPVs), which represent a group of more than 100 types of viruses. They are called papilloma viruses because certain types cause warts, or papillomas, which are benign (non-cancerous) tumors.

HPV, commonly known as the "wart virus", is a microscopic virus particle that infects the skin. HPV is one of the most common infections in the world. It infects approximately 40% of all Americans.

In the case of HPV, the infection is actually localized directly to the infected point in the skin, as opposed to the herpes simplex virus. Unlike HPV, the herpes virus goes through the skin and into the nerve cells. It travels up the nerve cell connection to the nerve ganglia by the spinal cord, where the virus lives. With HPV, the infection is actually in the skin.

HPV is contagious and is transmitted through contact of an infected piece of skin with a non-infected piece of skin. The presumption is that the non-infected area has to have a small, perhaps microscopic break that allows a tiny amount of tissue from the infected HPV area to get into the non-infected area, allowing an infection to set in.

Therefore, if a person with a wart anywhere on the body were to place that area in contact with the genitalia of the other person, this could cause the wart virus to be transmitted to the genital area of the partner. This applies to warts on fingers, as well as warts on the genitals of the infected partner.

Different types of HPVs cause common warts that grow on hands and feet, as compared to those that develop around the mouth and genital area. Warts appear as single bumps or in clusters, some having a cauliflower structure.

Of the more than 100 types of HPV identified, there are more than 30 types that have the ability to infect the genital tract. These genital warts can be passed from one person to another through sexual intercourse.

Genital HPV may cause warts to appear on or around the genitals and anus of both men and women. Genital warts often occur in groups and can be very tiny, or can accumulate into large masses, on genital tissues. Left untreated, genital warts may eventually develop a fleshy, cauliflower-like appearance.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in this country. It is estimated that as many as 40 million Americans are infected with HPV in the genital tract, and the incidence of this disease appears to be increasing.