Transmission occurs primarily via sexual contact.
Condoms are of little use in protection from HPV infection, as HPV can be transmitted simply by contact with the scrotum. The appearance of abnormal growths in HPV infection has been associated with myriad factors, including immune depression, emotional upheaval, and alcohol and cigarette use. HPV is therefore an attractive candidate for gene-based therapy, due to the inefficacy of conventional treatment, the prevelance of infection, and the association of HPV infection with cervical cancer. Conventional therapies for HPV have proven fairly ineffective. Virions themselves or individual virus-carrying cells need to be more specifically targeted in order to eliminate the infection.