HPV from a toilet seat?

Question

I work at a University and our student assistant said there's a rumor going around that some of the University's bathroom toilet seats are infected with HPV. She said rumor had it that girls who are virgins now have HPV.
Is this even possible?
Is there a way to pass HPV other than sexual contact?

Yes, I'm HPV stupid, that's why I'm asking!
No, I don't work at the Medical School.
As I am not up on the whole HPV thing, I thought/media makes it sound like, the only way to get it is by having sex.
--Governor says he wants all girls to get vaccinated prior to becoming sexually active. So that kind of leads you to believe that it's a sexually active problem only.
I know that back in the day people thought AIDS could be spread by using the same tiolet, or water fountain or other things that was later proven false. Just want to be clear on how you can get it.
The virgin comment was included because that's what was included when I was told about this.
Also, the University I work at has a big STD problem according to stats which compair it with other University's.

Answer 1

The likely hood of contracting an STD from the toilet seat is slim. Viruses do not live long outside of the body. So you would have to come in direct contact with vaginal/semenial discharge immediatly, and even then you would need to have it enter your vagina. Now unless you wipe the seat with cookies you should be ok.

Answer 2

According to this 2001 Cambridge UK Microbiology Hospital study, it is quite possible for genital hpv to be found on toilet seats. How widespread is this, I havent found a study which examines this yet. Hpv also can live up to 7 days outside of the body


"Results: HPV DNA was found to be present at more than 50% of the sites sampled in one of the GUM clinics, but was absent in the second, and also from the staff leisure and fitness centre. All HPV DNA detected was found to be cell associated. The most commonly found HPV types were 6, 11, and 16, respectively. HPV infected cells were found to be localised mainly to surfaces used predominantly by medical staff.

Conclusions: This study has identified contamination of the environment of a GUM clinic. Possible sources for the contamination of the clinic toilets were from genital sites via hands to the environment. Within the treatment rooms the most likely route of HPV DNA contamination of the environment was via the doctor's gloved hands."
http://sti.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/78/2/135

It appears I had good reason to wonder about the hygiene standards in GU clinics, lol

Answer 3

wow your in university and asking somthing like this. Like seriously.

First of all. The media has completly been misinforming us all. You CAN get HPV from not having sex. Yes you can get it from sex but you can also just get it. The only way you can give it to someone is through sex. I doubt you can get it from a toilet seat.

Also, Why do you say "all the girls who are virgins"?. You do not have to be a virgin to get HPV.

Answer 4

not possible... but HPV can infect vergins. cause thay may have been born with it. u can get it many different ways not just by haveing SEX..


its not nessacerly trancfered by men... most women have it and dont know it


HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV)
HPV affects both women and men.
• Anyone who has any kind of sexual activity involving genital contact with an infected person can get HPV—-intercourse isn't necessary.
• Many people who may have HPV may not show any signs or symptoms, so they can pass the virus on without even knowing it.

HPV is easily transmitted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 20 million people in the United States already had HPV in 2005.
According to the CDC, the only way you can totally protect yourself against HPV is to avoid any sexual activity that involves genital contact. HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18 account for the majority of HPV-related clinical diseases.
of the approximately 6 million new cases of genital HPV in the US every year, it is estimated 74% of them occur in 15-to-24-year-olds
†Number represents more than 30 genital HPV types, not just HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

THERE'S GOOD NEWS
Being vaccinated with GARDASIL before coming into contact with a person who has HPV may help protect you against HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

Welcome to HPV for dummies. This website explains the basics of HPV, or human papillomavirus, and how it most commonly affects normal people. If you have just been diagnosed and are looking for information, I hope the site will be helpful to you. It’s called “HPV for Dummies” because I know how confusing much of the information about HPV available on the web can be, and so my aim is to explain, in plain English, general information about the virus.



· HPV causes genital warts and abnormal cells on the cervix which can lead to cervical cancer if left untreated

· It can also cause cellular changes that can lead to vaginal, vulvar, anal, and less commonly penile and oral cancers

· Most people will get HPV at some point in their lives, and experts estimate the lifetime risk of acquiring HPV to be between 70 and 90%, depending on what you read

· Most people do not show any symptoms



“HPV for Dummies” is intended for the average person who has to deal with HPV. I do not have any medical background or experience. This website is simply a compilation of everything I’ve learned since I was diagnosed. Please do not take the answers I provide as the final word on any HPV-related issue, because they cannot substitute for professional knowledge or expertise. HPV information is constantly growing and changing. Sometimes I change my answers because I find out something I didn’t know before, so check back often. And because there are so many what-ifs and gray areas, where even experts disagree, you should never rely on only one source to give you the right answer. Always consult at least two or three different sources before believing something.



Disclaimer: I include my personal experience and observations in parts of the site where I believe they may prove helpful. Generally those pages are marked with a Personal Opinion Alert box. Please also check my links page for my full listing of sources, since none of the research listed on these pages is my own.



I wish you good fortune in your quest for information! J

Answer 5

Nots not possible. The only thing that can be spread by a toliet seat is crabs and they die pretty quick after they lose contact with the body. HPV is a SEXUALLY transmitted diease that comes from fluids being exchanged.

Answer 6

Yes this is definitely possible. It all depends with whom they were sitting on the seats. And you are working at a University? Surely not at the Med. School.

Answer 7

not possible!