A very common group of viruses; a few types can lead to cancers. Explore its illustrative 3D model, human context, and sources.
WHO describes human papillomavirus as a group of about 200 known viruses that usually cause no concern, spread by intimate skin-to-skin contact and often clearing on their own. CDC states most infections, about 9 out of 10, go away by themselves within 2 years. Persistent infection with high-risk types is the cause of cervical cancer and is associated with several other cancers.
WHO states that in 90% of people the body controls the infection by itself, while persistent infection with high-risk types causes cervical cancer and is associated with cancers of the vulva, vagina, mouth and throat, penis and anus. CDC reports that HPV causes about 36,000 cancer cases a year in the United States. Most infections do not lead to cancer, and this tag is not a personal risk score.
Human papillomaviruses · HPV16 capsid representative. HPV16 represents a large group of human papillomavirus types; pentamer positions are illustrative. The colours, proportions, protein shapes and visible counts are illustrative, not measured or an atomic reconstruction. Independent scientific review remains pending.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.