Any of several DNA viruses that cause tumors of the epithelium.
human virus that causes benign lesions of the squamous epithelium (warts, laryngeal papilloma, genital warts) and intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive squamous carcinoma of the cervix.
A group of over 100 viruses that cause warts; some forms can also cause cancer.
group of viruses that can cause noncancerous wart-like tumors to grow on the surface of skin and internal organs such as the respiratory tract; can be life-threatening.
The virus that causes warts, including genital warts.
Papillomaviruses were first identified in the early 20th century, when it was shown that skin warts, or papillomas, could be transmitted between individuals by a filterable infectious agent. In 1935 Francis Peyton Rous, who had previously demonstrated the existence of a cancer-causing sarcoma virus in chickens, went on to show that a papillomavirus could cause skin cancer in infected rabbits. This was the first demonstration that a virus could cause cancer in mammals.