Hand-genital transmission of genital warts? An analysis of prevalence data.
The role of hand-genital transmission in the aetiology of genital warts is unclear. However this route is suggested by a number of observations including the relatively high proportion of genital warts in children which contain HPV types 1-4 (15% for children and 2% for adults). We compared two transmission models; one which assumes that hand-genital transmission occurs and one that it does not, and determined the conditions in which each model can reflect the available prevalence data. Hand-genital transmission provides a simple explanation of the observed differences in the proportions of genital warts containing HPV types 1-4 and 6/11 in children and adults. If hand-genital transmission does not occur, the observed difference could only be explained by an eightfold greater probability of transmission to children of types 1-4 than types 6/11, or by an eightfold greater duration of infection with types 1-4. Our findings provide support for the view that genital warts may be transmitted by hand-genital contact.
Fairley
C K
CK
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Alfred Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
Gay
N J
NJ
Forbes
A
A
Abramson
M
M
Garland
S M
SM
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003218:Condylomata Acuminata / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000145:classification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology