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Health Tip - Warts

(HealthDayNews) -- You can't get warts from a toad, but you can certainly get them from another person.

Warts are caused by a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, which multiplies in the skin and causes a painless bump. There are more than 50 kinds of HPV that cause different kinds of warts on various parts of the body, the University of Toronto Health Services says.

Warts are spread person to person by direct contact with someone who has HPV. They can also be spread through indirect contact when a person infected with HPV touches and contaminates a surface, such as a pool deck or shower floor.

People who have no visible warts may carry the HPV virus and spread the infection. Warts can also spread from one part of the body to another part on an infected person.

Incubation is usually about three to four months from the time of infection until development of a wart. That can make it difficult to determine the source of infection.

-- Robert Preidt