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Butchers' wart is one of the less well known human papillomavirus infections. These warts, caused by HPV7, occur in persons who regularly handle meat at work. Prior reports suggest that HPV7 may be transmitted from animal tissue to humans or from person to person. Keefe and colleagues conducted an epidemiologic study of butchers' warts in the U.K. and described their findings in two recent reports.
The investigators first sought to elucidate reasons for the high prevalence of HPV7-associated lesions in meat workers. They studied 240 abattoir workers, 246 butchers, 308 engineers, and 292 office workers. Hand warts were diagnosed clinically by a dermatologist in 33% of abattoir workers, 34% of butchers, 20% of engineers, and 15% of office work…