How HPV is transmitted from person to person, how you can get infected

An HPV carrier may not be aware that he is infected. Symptoms do not appear immediately and only in the form of papillomas of different localization:

1. Vulgar. It appears as a small hard lump about 1 cm in diameter, most often on the hands.
2. Filiform. Small seals in the form of yellow cones, often change and grow.
3. Plantar warts. It is often confused with calluses.
4. Flat. Itching before the manifestation, similar to the manifestation of an allergy. Then they become rounded, light.
5. Pointy warts. They are found in intimate places, in the mucous membrane.

In women with formations on the genitals, accompanying signs may appear:

• heating;
• itching;
• cycle violation;
• pain, blood in the places of neoplasms.

In men, HPV manifests itself in the form of genital warts rarely, they act as carriers of the disease.

Blood test for papillomavirus type 18 (16)

A blood test for human papillomavirus in developed countries is used for mass detection of carriers and sick people. The diagnostic reliability of cytology is up to 95%. A DNA test in the US is performed for the following indications:

• In women over 30 years old, as a screening test;
• To identify suspicious search results;
• In the absence of screening programs;
• For control after removal of cervical cancer.

List of diagnostic procedures for papillomavirus detection:

1. Cytological examination in combination with the Digene test allows you to determine the clinically relevant concentration of the virus in the blood;
2. Urological, gynecological examination - to detect genital warts, genital warts;
3. Histological examination of a piece of tissue obtained after a gynecological or urological examination.

The main task of papillomavirus diagnosis is the detection of precancerous conditions. Colposcopy and cytology are the most common and affordable ways to diagnose the disease.

Transfer methods

Among the mechanisms under the influence of which you can become infected, there are:

• contact;
• vertical (from mother to child during birth).

The implementation of the contact mechanism is carried out through sexual and contact-family routes. Therefore, HPV can be transmitted through:

• handshakes and kisses;
• using other people's hygiene products, which include a razor, washcloth, soap, towel and cosmetics;
• wearing clothes belonging to the carrier of the infection;
• visiting public baths, saunas and swimming pools.

Oncogenic types of the virus are sexually transmitted. The risk of infection increases many times in those people who are promiscuous in partners. The more often they change, the higher the likelihood of infection, and even using condoms you cannot be sure of your safety.

You can also get infected with homosexual intercourse, because they are characterized by damage to the epithelium and mucosa. And a condom in this case also does not really help. The presence of warts on the body of a sexual partner also signals the possibility of acquiring HPV through microtraumas on the body.

Pregnant women who are carriers of HPV should be aware of the possibility of infecting a child during its passage through the birth canal.

Infection is carried out only in the presence of characteristic growths in the genital area and cervix. At the same time, papillomavirus infection in a child manifests itself in the form of growths in the larynx, which are particularly dangerous. It will be difficult for the baby to breathe and eat, possibly even suffocation.

To begin with, it is worth saying that papilloma is transmitted through the epidermis and saliva. At the same time, the infection may not be felt for some time and appear in the formation of genital warts and papillomas only with a decrease in immunity. If we talk about how the papillomavirus is transmitted, then the likelihood of infection increases significantly if there are injuries, scratches and scrapes on the skin.

Careful! Many people are interested in whether the papilloma is hereditary. The answer is no. It is when one of the family members is infected that the papilloma virus is transmitted at home or from mother to child during childbirth.

There is an opinion that most often the human papillomavirus is transmitted through sexual contact. This is true, but there are other routes of infection. The incubation period for human papillomavirus can be up to 10 years. Papillomas on the body can form through a simple touch or through the saliva of another person.

There are more than a hundred types of HPV, most of which are transmitted through various types of close contact.

sexually

HPV is sexually transmitted. This reason is considered more common and insidious, because often girls and boys are not aware of the presence of an infection in the blood. Popular methods of protection do not provide 100% security against the virus, especially if it is not a preventive method.

A condom gives a person some protection against HPV. It all depends on the type of infection and the person's immune system.

HPV can affect the skin anywhere on the body. Papilloma is often sexually transmitted.

Infection can also occur through condoms. This is due to the fact that the virus lives in the surface tissues and easily colonizes the mucosa.

In the presence of a microabrasion, the virus enters the bloodstream and begins its destructive work. As a result of the infection, genital warts or cauliflower-like neoplasms appear in the mucous tissues of the genital organs.

Often men infect their partners during intimate relations. They have a stronger immune system and rarely show obvious signs of infection. If there are many sexual relations with unknown women, they can be in the role of carriers of the virus for some time. Papillomavirus can be transmitted from woman to man if the sexual partner has a weak immune system.

A person who is naturally immune to this virus can touch the warts, have sex with an infected person and remain healthy. There are cases when one partner has tested positive for HPV, while the other is negative, despite the fact that they have been living together for a long time.

Other routes of infection

The method of infection with household tools is quite common, as well as the possibility of infection during sexual intercourse.

The virus can be transmitted while swimming in contaminated water, outdoor or indoor pools. You may see specific growths on the body some time after visiting a bath or sauna where an infected person has visited.

HPV is transmitted intranatally or transplacentally. For each method there is a certain risk of infection.

Research suggests that cesarean delivery increases the likelihood of human papillomavirus infection. In natural birth or artificial birth in women, the risk of infection does not change.

The repeated course of respiratory papillomatosis is provoked by the presence of several types of pathogens - 68, 59, 56, 52, 51, 45, 39, 35, 33, 31, 18, 16. The differences in the oncogenicity of the serotypes lie in the ability of eachtype to determine the number of intracellular divisions.

Transmission of HPV through sexual contact

Through sexual intercourse, HPV is transmitted as a sexually transmitted infection. After contact of the blood of a carrier or an infected person with the blood of a donor (through erosion, cracks in the genitals), the virion enters the bloodstream. Clinical symptoms are formed according to the serotype of the virus:

• Vulgar plantar warts are provoked by HPV types 63, 1, 4, 2;
• Flat warts - 75, 41, 28, 49. 10, 3;
• Epidermodysplasia verruciformis is observed in patients with papillomatosis due to serotype 11 or 6.

According to scientists, there are many papillomaviruses that have not yet been examined. Humanity has carefully studied oncogenic representatives, which has made it possible to create effective protection against cervical cancer in women.

The mechanism of domestic papillomavirus infection

Human papillomavirus is a highly contagious virus and, according to statistics, from 50 to 70% of the population is infected with it. However, clinical manifestations of infection are not so common, in about 1-2% of cases. A person does not even realize that he is a carrier of HPV until there is a decrease in immunity and activation of the virus. By knowing the main ways of transmission of HPV, you can protect yourself from unwanted symptoms. So HPV - how is the disease transmitted? All possible routes of transmission will be discussed below.

Papilloma: how is it transmitted and what is it?

About 100 different types of the virus are currently known. Among them, there are both harmless to humans and dangerous in terms of the development of cancer.

The following facts can be encouraging: the viruses that cause the formation of warts and papillomas belong to subtypes 6 and 11 that have a low cancer risk. Oncogenic subtypes include strains 16 and 18, which provoke cellular mutation and cervical cancer.

The papilloma virus multiplies exclusively in the cells of the skin and mucous membranes, causing their uncontrolled division. As a result, a person has the following clinical manifestations:

• various warts (common, flat, plantar);
• genital warts;
• papillomatosis of the mouth and larynx;
• papilloma of internal organs.

The role of the virus in the development of cervical cancer in women and penile cancer in men has been proven, so it is important to know how papillomavirus is transmitted to prevent infection.

Human papillomavirus: modes of transmission

It is impossible to detect the presence of a virus in the body if there are no characteristic growths on the skin or mucous membranes. Specialized medical tests will allow the identification of a sleep pathology. The absence of symptoms does not guarantee that a person is not dangerous to others.

How is papillomavirus (HPV) transmitted? Doctors distinguish several ways.

Contact domestically

HPV is passed down through the family. It is worth noting that rarely, but this option for acquiring human papillomavirus infection (PVI), however, has the right to exist.

You can get infected by shaking hands, using common household items - towels, slippers, wearing someone else's clothes, especially underwear. Often the infection occurs when visiting the pool, fitness center.

The microscopic organism has such high activity that HPV is transmitted through saliva, a kiss.

The risk of infection increases if the skin has scratches, scrapes, microcracks and various wounds. Especially contagious are people with characteristic manifestations of the disease - warts and papillomas.

A very common question: Will washing hands regularly reduce the risk of infection? Of course, clear skin is more protected. However, hygiene measures do not protect against papillomavirus infection.

Is papillomavirus (HPV) sexually transmitted?

One sexual contact is enough to infect a person. HPV is transmitted through oral, vaginal and anal sex.

Most often, the infection comes from a man, but the opposite situation is also possible, when the reverse HPV infection is recorded - from a woman to a man.

Predisposing factors are:

• early intimacy at a young age;
• frequent change of sexual partners, because remember that the papillomavirus is sexually transmitted;
• the presence of genital warts on the genitals.

Papilloma is also sexually transmitted through homosexual intercourse, during which minor injuries to the skin and mucous membranes of the anal area occur. This significantly increases the risk of infection, especially if one of the partners has external manifestations of the disease - anogenital warts.

Is human papillomavirus transmitted through unprotected sex? Unfortunately yes. HPV is transmitted through a condom, as warts invisible to the eye can be found in the inguinal region unprotected by the product.

Using a condom greatly reduces the risk of infection, but does not provide a complete guarantee of safety. Despite this, condom use is recommended for all persons who have multiple sexual partners.

HPV is easily transmitted through oral sex. This increases the risk of developing tonsil cancer, especially if a person has been infected with oncogenic strains.

Papillomavirus: transmission from mother to child (vertical method)

Many pregnant women worry - is HPV transmitted from mother to child? Unfortunately, such a route of infection occurs and infection can occur both transplacentally (in the prenatal period) and during delivery.

If the first option is an exceptional rarity, then when a baby passes through an infected birth canal, a child can get papillomavirus with a high degree of probability.

Possible infection of the larynx, bronchi and trachea in a newborn. The virus enters the mucosa and stimulates the formation of growths. Papillomatosis of the larynx can lead to stenosis and suffocation of the child, especially if the vocal cords are affected. Any infection, a cold leads to swelling of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and in the presence of accompanying papillomas, this ends with difficulty in inhalation and exhalation.

Papillomavirus infection (PVI) is included in the group of anthroponotic pathogens (transmission is carried out exclusively from person to person). If we talk about how you can get infected with papillomavirus (HPV), then mainly through sexual contact with an infected partner. In addition, the virus can remain active in dead skin cells for a certain period of time (relatively short), therefore, in certain situations, human papillomavirus infection is carried out by household means. Now a little more about how to get HPV and what methods of infection exist.

Contagious papillomatosis

First of all, it is worth answering the question: "Is the papilloma contagious? " Without a doubt. And the appearance of warts requires complex treatment, including not only the removal of formations, but also the administration of the necessary medications.

Is latent HPV contagious? Another frequent question from patients. The answer to it will also be positive. It is worth knowing that even the practice of protected sex is not a complete guarantee against infection. The virus can be based on the groin and on the surface of the genitals, unprotected by a condom.

Human papillomavirus: sexually transmitted infection

The main way of transmission of papilloma is sexual intercourse with an infected partner. This type of transmission is typical for most varieties of the virus with high oncogenic activity.

The risk of contracting this disease is particularly high among men and women who are promiscuous when choosing a sexual partner. Persons with homosexual tendencies should also be included in the risk group. The practice of anal sex is associated with trauma to the skin and mucous membranes, which greatly facilitates the process of introducing HPV DNA into the human body.

A person often considers growths on the skin to be harmless and treats them with folk methods. This mistake can have dangerous consequences - the abnormal growth of epithelial tissue worsens the spread of the papillomavirus throughout the body, and some of its strains provoke cell mutation with the formation of various types of cancer.

More than 80% of the world's population are carriers of the human papillomavirus, regardless of age and race.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common disease against which neither children nor adults are protected. Getting infected with this infection is quite simple, because its cells are around us and maintain their viability without a carrier for a long time.

Moreover, it can be placed in the human body invisibly and will not appear until a certain moment. All this time, the infected object is a carrier of the disease, therefore HPV is transmitted both to people who are near him and to members of his family.

Papillomavirus - a provocateur of the development of oncology

Almost every third person has small growths on the body that initially seem harmless and harmless. When such neoplasms are detected, the patient's first reaction is to tear them or remove them by folk methods.

In fact, such actions often cause irreparable harm to health, since improper removal of the papilloma can provoke an active proliferation of epithelial tissue. This is what contributes to the rapid spread of HPV in the body, and in some cases even causes a mutation of skin cells with subsequent degeneration into a cancerous tumor.

To date, scientists have divided all types of papillomavirus into three categories:

• sure;
• with low oncogene;
• very oncogenic.

One of the features of HPV is that it is not a sexually transmitted disease in the usual sense. The sexual route is only one of several ways of infection, and far from being the main one. This is why condoms cannot always protect against the human papillomavirus.

We offer to understand what methods of transmission of the virus exist, how the infection occurs and whether it can be avoided.

In total, about 130 types of human papillomavirus are known in medicine. Only about 40 of them affect the genitals. For most of these 40 species, the sexual route of transmission is the main one, but studies show that it is not the only one.

HPV prevention

There are a number of preventive measures, due to which the human papillomavirus infection will most likely not enter the body.

• all skin injuries must be treated with antiseptics;
• use only personal hygiene products;
• in public saunas, baths and swimming pools it is necessary to use slippers made of rubber;
• any disease must be treated at the right time;
• fidelity to a sexual partner who can be trusted;
• use a condom for every sexual intercourse. Although this does not guarantee safety, however, through the condom, the papillomavirus enters the body of women and men with less probability;
• regular exercise;
• body strengthening;
• respecting sleep and nutrition.

These precautions should be taken not only to avoid HPV infection, but also other sexually transmitted infections. The condom provides a guarantee against infection with many diseases that provoke the activation of the HPV virus.

In the case of the presence of a virus in the body of pregnant women and its manifestations in the genital area, a complete examination and removal of such neoplasms is necessary. If there is papilloma on the genitals, a cesarean section is recommended for a woman to prevent infection of the child during the passage through the birth canal.

There is a special vaccine against viruses of highly oncogenic strains, which is recommended mainly for women under the age of 26 and teenagers. Even if the HPV carrier himself is vaccinated, his immunity improves significantly and the virus goes into an inactive phase.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the virus does not disappear from the body and, accordingly, the person remains a carrier of the infection. For safety reasons, he must use a condom during intercourse and use only personal hygiene products.

We understood how the human papillomavirus is transmitted (women, men and children), now it remains to consider preventive measures. It must be said right away that the most effective way to avoid infection is preventive vaccination.

To date, two types of vaccines against this infection are known. They protect against the most dangerous oncogenic strains of a viral infection.

However, the high effectiveness of such protection is observed only when vaccinated at an early age, before sexual activity or before infection with one of the HPV strains.

In order not to be infected with the human papillomavirus, you should follow some simple rules that will help you avoid other, more serious health problems:

• be careful when choosing sexual partners - avoid casual contacts;
• observe the rules of personal hygiene - wash your hands more often, especially after visiting public places;
• strengthen immunity - if possible, avoid stress and overwork;
• get vaccinated - the vaccine appeared relatively recently, in 2006.

Even after studying the ways of transmission of the human papillomavirus and following all the rules of prevention, it is impossible to completely protect yourself from HPV infection. If you have had contact with a sick person and fear that the virus may be transmitted, you can have a blood test for PCR. This way you will get a reliable answer. But it should be noted that HPV does not require treatment if you do not have characteristic clinical manifestations.