Causes of Warts

Warts Menu

Warts are caused by the DNA-containing human papillomavirus (HPV). There are at least 63 genetically different types of HPV's. Warts can grow on all parts of your body. Some types of HPV tend to cause warts on the skin, while other HPV types tend to cause warts on the genitals and rectal area.

The virus enters the skin after direct contact with recently shed viruses kept alive in warm, moist environments such as a locker room, or by direct contact with an infected person. The entry site is often an area of recent injury. The incubation time-from when the virus is contracted until a wart appears-can be 1-8 months.

They are usually spread by person-to-person contact. However, the development of warts will depend upon the individual's immune response to the virus.

Genital warts are very contagious and are passed from one person to another during sex with an infected person, or by skin-to-skin contact. People who have many sexual partners put themselves at a higher risk of catching genital warts.

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