Mechanisms of HPV transmission among girls of different ages

Human papillomavirus infection is an infectious disease caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Some types of HPV, especially high oncogenic risk types, can lead to cervical cancer, vaginal and vulvar cancer, anal cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer. HPV of low oncogenic risk, in turn, can cause anogenital warts or juvenile recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in childhood. Human papillomavirus infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. However, there are other important ways of transmission: vertical (from mother to child), horizontal, including infection through inoculated objects and surfaces (fomites), heteroinoculation and autoinoculation (self-infection is the way of virus transmission from one part of the body to another). In this literature review we analysed data from basic research and clinical studies that show that HPV can survive far beyond its host and potentially can be transmitted not only in sexual contact.