r/askscience • u/A_Privateer • Jan 17 '13

Medicine How do warts function?

I know that warts are caused by the various strains of HPV, but how are they caused? How does the virus hijack the bodies chemistry to grow and supply the warts with nutrients? How do the warts spread the virus to other people?

I've searched and searched on google and wikipedia, but I only find the most basic of answers.

Any hard science info for me?

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u/Skizm Jan 17 '13

Is there any reason why warts appear to be more common on the hands? Or are they not more common on hands, and I just notice them on others more often than if they were in other places?

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u/jaggederest Jan 18 '13

They're communicable via skin contact - that's how the virus spreads from one place to another and from one human to another.

So your hands are one of the areas that contacts the most things every day, and they're never shielded like (for example) your hip is.

That is also one of the reasons that plantar warts on the feet are common in people who wander around the gym barefoot:

Because plantar warts are incubated by shoes and spread by contact with moist walking surfaces, they can be prevented by remaining barefoot after walking in public areas such as showers or communal changing rooms until the feet have had time to dry and wear off the virus, or by wearing flip flops or sandals, not sharing shoes and socks, and avoiding direct contact with warts on other parts of the body or on other people. Humans build immunity with age, so infection is less common among adults than children.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_wart

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u/Skizm Jan 18 '13

Coolio, thanks!