Transmission of HPV in general
Transmission of HPV through routes other than sexual is definitely possible. One may be exposed to HPV simply by shaking hands as suggested in the finding of HPV virus under fingernails.
Sexually Transmitted Infections 1999 Oct;75(5):317-9:
Detection of human papillomavirus DNA on the fingers of patients with genital warts.
Sonnex C, Strauss S, Gray JJ, Department of GU Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, England.
“14 men and eight women with genital warts had cytobrush samples taken from genital lesions, finger tips, and tips of finger nails. Samples were examined for the presence of HPV DNA by the polymerase chain reaction.
HPV DNA was detected in all female genital samples and in 13/14 male genital samples. HPV DNA was detected in the finger brush samples of three women and nine men. The same HPV type was identified in genital and hand samples in one woman and five men.
This study has identified hand carriage of genital HPV types in patients with genital warts. Although sexual intercourse is considered the usual mode of transmitting genital HPV infection, our findings raise the possibility of transmission by finger-genital contact.”
Condoms offer little protection against HPV since any skin-to-skin contact can result in transmission of the virus.
Am J Epidemiol 2003 Feb 1;157(3):218-26:
Genital human papillomavirus infection: incidence and risk factors in a cohort of female university students.
Winer RL, Lee SK, Hughes JP, Adam DE, Kiviat NB, Koutsky LA. Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98103, USA.
“Incidence data on human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are limited, and risk factors for transmission are largely unknown. The authors followed 603 female university students in Washington State at 4-month intervals between 1990 and 2000. At each visit, a sexual and health questionnaire was completed and cervical and vulvovaginal samples were collected to detect HPV DNA. At 24 months, the cumulative incidence of first-time infection was 32.3% (95% confidence interval: 28.0, 37.1). Incidences calculated from time of new-partner acquisition were comparable for enrolled virgins and nonvirgins. Smoking, oral contraceptive use, and report of a new male sex partner––in particular, one known for less than 8 months before sex occurred or one reporting other partners––were predictive of incident infection.
Always using male condoms with a new partner was not protective. Infection in virgins was rare, but any type of nonpenetrative sexual contact was associated with an increased risk. Detection of oral HPV was rare and was not associated with oral-penile contact. The data show that the incidence of HPV associated with acquisition of a new sex partner is high and that nonpenetrative sexual contact is a plausible route of transmission in virgins.”
Scand J Infect Dis 1996;28(3):243-6:
Transmission of genital human papillomavirus infections is unlikely through the floor and seats of humid dwellings in countries of high-level hygiene.
Puranen M, Syrjanen K, Syrjanen S Department of Pathology, University of Kuopio, Finland.
“To evaluate the transmission of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) through the floor and seats of humid dwellings, samples were collected with a toothbrush from the floor and seat surfaces of humid dwellings; showers, saunas and dressing rooms. The survey included 3 bathing resorts, 1 indoor swimming pool, 2 schools and 2 private homes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the human beta-globin gene and HPV DNA. The results for HPV DNA amplification were confirmed by Southern blot hybridization under low stringency using a probe mixture of HPV types 6, 16, 18 and 31. beta-globin could be amplified only from 3 sample taken from a dressing room of and indoor public swimming pool. No HPV DNA-positive samples were found. These results indicate that transmission of genital HPV infection via floor or seat surfaces in the above dwellings in general or family use is highly unlikely.”
Rev Med Virol 1999 Jan-Mar;9(1):15-21:
High risk genital papillomavirus infections are spread vertically.
Rice PS, Cason J, Best JM, Banatvala JE. Department of Virology, Guy’s, Kings and St Thomas’ Medical School, Kings College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, UK.
“It is well recognized that high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are spread by sexual activity, but the possibility of non-sexual transmission remains controversial. We present evidence for vertical transmission from at least 30% HPV positive mothers to their infants, resulting in persistent infection in children. That the mother is the source of infant infection has been confirmed by DNA sequencing. We also discuss the evidence for oral HPV-16 infection in children.
In our own studies, HPV-16 DNA was detected in buccal cells from 48% children, aged 3-11 and transcriptionally active infection was confirmed in some children. Other studies have reported prevalences of 19%-27% among children less than 11 years of age. Studies that have failed to detect high-risk HPVs in children have used techniques which were insufficiently sensitive to detect the low levels of virus present. Serological studies also suggest that < or = 45% prepubertal children have acquired HPV-16. Thus, convincing evidence is now available for vertical transmission of high risk HPVs, which probably results in widespread infection among children. The consequences of such infections remain to be elucidated.”
J Med Virol 1998 Nov;56(3):210-6:
Presence of antibodies to human papillomavirus virus-like particles (VLPs) in 11-13-year-old schoolgirls.
Cubie HA, Plumstead M, Zhang W, de Jesus O, Duncan LA, Stanley MA. Regional Clinical Virology Laboratory, City Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
“To allow meaningful approaches to vaccine development, it is important to know the extent of exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV) within the general population, and particularly the age at which the at risk population is infected. The humoral response to human papillomavirus is directed largely to conformationally-dependent epitopes on the whole virion. Virus-like particles (VLPs) of HPV types 1, 2, and 16 were produced using a baculovirus expression system, and were used in the intact state as antigen in an indirect ELISA. Anonymised serum samples from a cohort of Edinburgh schoolgirls were tested for the presence of IgG antibodies directed against the VLPs. The reproducibility of the ELISA was assured by repeated testing of control samples, and by testing all samples in duplicate and, where possible, on several occasions.
Of 1,192 tested with the HPV16 VLPs, 90 (7.6%) were classified as clearly positive, and a further 87 (7.3%) were positive but close to the cutoff calculated by comparison with a group of consistently negative sera. Antibodies to HPV2 were detected in 37.5% (407/1,139) and antibodies to HPV 1 in 51.9% (558/1,076) of the schoolgirls. Antibodies to both HPV1 and HPV2 were found frequently, being present in 29.7% (295/ 993) of samples tested; 40 samples had antibodies to all three types. The significance of these results is discussed.”
J Clin Microbiol 1999 Jul;37(7):2270-3:
Detection of human papillomavirus types 6 and 11 in pubic and perianal hair from patients with genital warts.
Boxman IL, Hogewoning A, Mulder LH, Bouwes Bavinck JN, ter Schegget J. Department of Virology, Academic Medical Center, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
“Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11 are of clinical importance due to their role in the development of anogenital warts. A pilot study was performed to investigate whether DNAs from HPV types 6 and 11 are present in hairs plucked from the pubic and perianal regions and eyebrows of patients with genital warts at present and patients with a recent history of genital warts. Genital HPV DNA was detected in 9 of 25 (36%) pubic hair samples and in 11 of 22 (50%) perianal hair samples by the CPI/CPIIg PCR. After sequencing of 17 of 20 samples, HPV type 6 or 11 was detected in 6 of 25 (24%) hair samples from the pubis and 8 of 22 (36%) hair samples from the perianal region. These types were not detected in plucked eyebrow hairs. In contrast, the HPV types associated with epidermodysplasia verruciformis were detected in similar proportions (62%) in both samples of pubic and eyebrow hairs.
Moreover, HPV type 6 and 11 DNAs were detected in pubic hairs plucked from two patients who had been successfully treated and who did not show any lesion at the time of hair collection; this finding is an argument that HPV DNA may persist in this region. The presence of genital HPV types in plucked pubic and perianal hair suggests that there is an endogenous reservoir for HPV which may play a role in the recurrences of genital warts.”
Can a vaccine treat my existing HPV infection?
By Dr. Judith Reichman
Q: I tested positive for high-risk HPV on my recent Pap smear. I’m freaked! If I get the HPV vaccine will it help cure me?
A: First, the good news. It’s most likely that your body will clear the virus by itself through your own immune reactions. But the bad news is that we don’t know how to help that process along and the vaccine won’t do it.
A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) detailed a study in which more than 2,000 women between the ages of 18 to 25 were followed for over a year. These women lived in Costa Rica and were found, on initial testing, to be positive for human papilloma virus (HPV). They were divided into two groups: Half the women got a vaccine that immunizes against HPV 16 and 18, the other half did not. There are over 30 types of HPV, but only some are high risk. Type 16 and 18 are found in (and felt to be the cause of) 70 percent of cervical cancers. (The vaccine currently available in the U.S. is called Gardasil. It’s a quadrivalent vaccine because it protects against four types of HPV: 16, 18, 6 and 11. These last two types of HPV are not involved in cervical cancer development but do cause genital warts.)
The women were then followed and tested for viral shedding at 6 and 12 months. The study found that there was no significant difference in viral clearance (i.e., the virus disappeared) between those who received immunization after becoming infected with HPV and those who didn’t. The clearance rate of HPV in the women who took the vaccine at six months was 33.4 percent vs. 31.6 percent in the control group. At 12 months, the rate of continued shedding of the virus was 48.8 percent in the vaccinated group and 49.8 percent in the control group.
The study didn’t evaluate the long-term progression of HPV infections, the extent of future abnormalities in cervical cells, or the development of cervical cancer in these women. There’s still a possibility that the vaccine may diminish the progression to cancer, but it seems unlikely since it didn’t cause the virus to disappear.
We do know that within two years of HPV exposure (and infection), most women clear these viruses on their own. Thank goodness for our cervical “powers of viral destruction.” HPV prevalence is frighteningly ubiquitous — 50 to 70 percent of sexually active young adults test positive for one of the HPVs within two years of initiating sexual activity, especially if they are not consistent in using condoms. (And even then there can be “oops” occurrences). Because of its overwhelming prevalence, the current recommendation is not to test for HPV infection in young adults (under the age of 30).
Those who have persistent viral infections are a small minority of women who are then at risk for cervical cancer. Finding a persistent HPV infection in women after the age of 30 should be a signal for careful follow-up.
Despite this study’s results, there are those who feel that it is worthwhile to give the quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil) to young women aged 11 to 26 who have tested positive for one of the high-risk HPVs. This is because, in theory, the vaccine may provide immunity against HPV types that these young women were not exposed to and/or infected with. Whether it is cost-effective to do this, especially in a large population, is still under discussion.
Bottom Line: If you are infected with HPV, getting the HPV vaccine will not help you clear the virus; the vaccine should not be used to treat current infections.
Dr. Judith Reichman, the TODAY show’s medical contributor on women’s health, has practiced obstetrics and gynecology for more than 20 years. You will find many answers to your questions in her latest book, “Slow Your Clock Down: The Complete Guide to a Healthy, Younger You,” which is now available in paperback.
Should My Daughter Get The HPV Vaccine?
Physicals and immunizations are all part of the back-to-school ritual. After a summer of information overload about the new HPV vaccine, many parents are wondering if it’s necessary for their daughters. According to the doctors at the University of Southern California, you may want to consider adding the HPV vaccine to your daughter’s to-do list.
‘The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, haves recommended that all girls from 11-12 years old routinely receive the HPV vaccine,’ says Nandini Datta, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. ‘This vaccine is meant to prevent cervical cancer by preventing infection with cancer-causing HPV. The vaccine has been shown to be safe in women aged 9-26 and the ideal candidate is a girl prior to sexual activity. If the patient is older than 12, I think it¹s reasonable to discuss with your physician if this is something right for her.’
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually-transmitted infections in the U.S. While most HPV types cause no symptoms, according to the CDC there are a few types that can cause cervical cancer in women. In the U.S., about 6.2 million people become infected with HPV each year and more than half of all sexually active men and women become infected at some time in their lives.
Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first HPV vaccine, Gardasil, which is indicated for girls from nine to 26 years old. Gardasil protects women from the HPV strains that are responsible for 70% of all cervical cancers and 90% of all genital warts. Although it does not protect women from all variations of HPV, studies have shown that the vaccine is effective in preventing disease caused by four HPV strains.
‘Since the vaccine does not protect against all HPV strains, it is still important for women to continue to receive yearly screenings,’ continues Datta. ‘Women should have regular Pap tests beginning at the age of 21 or three years after the onset of sexual activity.’
Cure for genital warts
Genital warts can be an embarrassing problem. Physically manifesting themselves as cauliflower-textured bumps occurring in and around the genital area, genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease that is rarely talked about or discussed. In this article, we’ll discuss what you can do if you come down with genital warts to better help your body to fight off the disease.
When people think of genital warts, they often think of a condition that will stick with them for life. However, if you employ the proper methods of treatment for the disease, you can cause it to go into remission to such a degree that your body will naturally rid itself of the problem. While there are several different methods that doctors use to get rid of genital warts, there are certain things that you can do on your own in order to help your body fight the disease.
Getting rid of a genital warts issue is largely a responsibility undertaken by the body’s immune system. When the body can successfully fight off the disease, it will no longer be a problem. The first step in helping your body to rid itself of the infection is to get rid of any warts that are already present. This can be done by a doctor, who may employ such methods as cryotherapy to freeze the warts off or surgery to clip the warts away from the body. Since the warts are largely the stronghold of the disease, getting rid of them is tantamount to curing the disease.
After the warts are gone from your body physically, one of the best things that you can do is to boost your immune system in any way that you can. One great way of doing that is to maintain a healthy diet that is rich in foods that contain the vitamins and minerals that the body requires to function properly. Many take supplements such as tea tree oil, Echinacea, and Vitamin C in order to boost their immune function. Also, high levels of exercise are encouraged in order to get your body into the best working shape that it can be in. Be cautioned when looking for wart cures at the store, however; you shouldn’t use normal wart treatment for the treatment of genital warts. Salicylic acid is commonly used to treat normal warts, and some believe that it would help their genital wart condition, but they could be no more wrong.
Using home cures such as salicylic acid can only damage your body. If you believe that you have genital warts, one of the most important things that you can do for your health is to visit a doctor to get a proper diagnosis for your problem. While home cures may seem to be a little less scary since you don’t want to have to admit your problem to someone, the only guaranteed method of properly diagnosing the disease is to speak to a doctor. With proper treatment, diet, and exercise, the disease may go into remission and eventually disappear altogether within a few years. Practice safe sex, and get a proper medical consultation if you deem it necessary.
Pictures of Genital Warts
Discover the benefits of Wartrol Genital Warts Relief
It’s not rare for the human papilloma virus to remain undetected without any obvious symptoms, but the most common one is a genital wart. Genital warts can appear in the form of a single growth or in a cluster, the most frequent locations being the genitals, the area around the anus and in the perineum.
The pictures of genital warts are published here for the sole purpose of assessing your current condition.
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NB: All the pages you are about to see demonstarte pictures of human papilloma virus in males and females in the form of genital warts. As we foresee these images might be considered offensive or inappropriate by some visitors, make sure you familiarize yourself with our disclaimer section in order to avoid misunderstanding.