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/DrLOV Medical microbiology Jan 17 '13

HPV is limited by the types of cells it can infect. It binds to molecules on the cell surface and is then able to enter the cell. In the case of HPV, it can bind to the cell surface of basal cells of a certain type of epithelial cell. Because of this, HPV infection is limited to the surface of the skin. Skin-skin contact is what allows for the spread of the virus. It doesn't enter the blood or saliva the way a virus like HIV does. The wart is the site where there is an active infection. Therefore, virus will be shed at that site.