2006-06-28 17:22:05 · 2 answers · asked by wondering 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ STDs
A pap smear only detects the known strains of HPV. Viruses are known to mutate often and there may be unknown forms of the viruses. The subtypes are dealt with only by scientists and microbiologists. Only after a lot of researching are they addd to the medical textbooks.
2006-06-29 01:39:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. A pap smear shows if you have abnormal cells on your cervix, which are caused by a few strains of HPV. It's important that you get a pap smear yearly to prevent cervical cancer from developing if you have HPV. 300,000 women a year die from cervical cancer!
Other strains like genital warts, hand and feet warts can be diagnosed just by looking at them.
2006-06-28 18:56:26 · answer #2 · answered by Alli 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋