Lifecycle
HPV stands for human papillomavirus. Because it is a virus, HPV can only be contracted from another person who has the virus. When another person is exposed to the virus, the human papillomavirus then invades normal cells within the human body. Once the virus has entered cells, it uses the cell's proteins, energy and infrastructure to make more copies of itself. Once the virus has divided enough times, it leaves the cell and spreads to other cells, where it repeats the process. One aspect of human papillomaviruses is that once they infect the body they can remain dormant for a long period of time, allowing them to evade the immune system.
Spread
Human papillomavirus is typically spread via skin-to-skin contact between an infected person and an uninfected person. Although the virus is able to infect skin cells, it typically needs to gain access to other tissues to remain in the body due to the limited life span of skin cells. As a result, human papillomavirus typically enters the body through small abrasions or cuts in the skin. This viral infection is most commonly spread during sexual intercourse and can be spread via oral, vaginal or anal sexual acts. In some cases, according to the Mayo Clinic, HPV can also be passed from a mother to her child during the birthing process.
Infection
There are many different strains of the human papillomavirus. Depending on the strain, HPV may infect the genital area, or it may result in warts appearing elsewhere on the body, such as on the arms, hands or feet. Some strains do not cause warts or any visible symptoms whatsoever. A person is most contagious when there are warts on the body---if an uninfected person touches a wart caused by HPV, there is a risk that the virus can be transmitted. Human papillomavirus can sometimes be transmitted even when warts are not visible, though the risk of infection is greatly reduced at this point.
