How Does the HPV Virus Destroy the Host Cell?
HPV The human papillomavirus, more commonly referred to as simply HPV, is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. The HPV virus is the cause of conditions such as genital and anal warts, warts on other parts of the body (often the hands and feet), and in some extreme cases it’s a major contributor to women developing cervical cancer. There are literally hundreds of different varieties of HPV, and how each one will act in a certain host will vary. However, there are some commonalities in their behavior patterns with regard to cells. Infection Once a person is infected with HPV (usually through sex, but many times through a fluid exchange such as blood), the virus begins to seek out cells. HPV invades a cell, but only changes the nucleus of the host cell. This is the way in which HPV is detected, because the cells that contain it look bizarre under a microscope. They often have two nuclei, and the cells are described as squamous. Since the nucleus is changed, that means tha
