HPV is highly contagious and can lead to numerous cancers including that of the penis. So if a man’s never had sex, could he still get infected with this common virus?
“The human Papilloma virus causes warts,” begins Dr. David Beatty, MD, a retired general practitioner with 30+ years of experience and an instructor of general medicine for 20 years.
“A person may have the virus but not have any visible wart; it can be asymptomatic.
“There are over 100 subtypes of HPV, and about 40 of these can infect the genital tract.
“The others mainly affect other areas on the skin surface (but they can occasionally affect the genitalia).
“Most genital HPV is caused by types 6 and 11.
“The genital strains can affect the skin and mucosa of the upper respiratory and ano-genital tracts.
“The vast majority are transmitted from person to person by vaginal, anal or oral sex.
“However, HPV can be caught by direct skin to skin contact, from yourself or someone else.
“A man could, for instance, auto-inoculate [give to] himself from a wart on his own hand.
“It’s also possible that contact with contaminated objects could cause transmission.”
Study: Virginity Does Not Protect Against an HPV Infection
Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health found that abstaining from sex is not protective against the HPV.
The report, in the Dec. 2017 Journal of Infectious Diseases, details the study involving 87 male virgins between 18 and 70 who were followed every six months for up to 10 visits, spanning 2005 to 2009.
• During the research period, some men who did not have sex acquired the human papillomavirus.
• Sex is defined as penetrative intercourse.
• The male virgins, however, acquired the HPV at about half the rate as those who began having intercourse during the study period.
The report notes that previous studies have found the HPV among female virgins, and that this study is the first to find the virus among male virgins.
HPV can lead to six kinds of cancer.
The HPV is highly infectious, as indicated by the finding that 28.7 percent of the men who lost their virginity during the study acquired the virus within one year.
Within two years, the figure jumped to 45.5 percent.
Genital HPV
“Genital HPV is a very common condition,” says Dr. Beatty.
“The body’s immune system will clear 70% in one year and 90% in two years. It can, however, lie dormant and recur later.
“The incubation period is from three weeks up to over two years.
“So someone could have been celibate for a year but still contract genital warts from a sexual contact 18 months earlier.
“Transmission is more likely in the immunosuppressed person and is more likely to occur through damaged, traumatized or inflamed areas of skin.”
Dr. Beatty has worked in primary medicine, surgery, accident and emergency, OBGYN, pediatrics and chronic disease management. He is the Doctor of Medicine for 
