Genital Warts: Test for my Partners

Dear Ask The Doctor: Two weeks ago I was diagnosed and treated for Genital Warts. I was told by my Dr. that I need to tell all my past sexual partners and they need to be tested. My x-partner says that every clinic/Doctor he calls says if he has no symptoms then there is no test. When I went to the Dr. he did an iodine test (or was it vinegar) to see if there were any warts not visible that would show up with the iodine (warts turn white). Why won't a clinic perform this test on my x-partner? And is this a sufficient test? Can't I just buy iodine and do this myself? If I got genital warts from my partner and he has no symptoms then can he give it to me again? Can it only be passed when you have warts? But then you can have flat hidden warts and you can pass it without knowing right?

Dear Stacey: The warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Infection with genital warts may not be obvious sometimes and the diagnosis is often based on findings from the history and appearance of the genital warts. Genital warts are highly contagious. There is roughly 60% risk of getting the infection from a single sexual contact with someone who has genital warts. Recurrence rates of genital warts are greater than 50% after one year and have been attributed to the following factors: Recurrent infection from a sexual partner, potentially long incubation time of HPV, Persistence of the virus in the surrounding skin, in the hair follicle, or in sites that are missed by the treatment used, deep lesions or lesions that cannot be detected.

There are various tests: 1) Local application of acetic acid(acetowhitening) to the suspicious area and wait for about 5-10 minutes, and if they are infected, they will turn white.2) Colposcopy, using an instrument that magnifies the area to see the lesions in female’s vaginal canal and on the cervix.3) A routine Pap smear always should be done looking for evidence of HPV infection and abnormal cells on the cervix.4) Biopsy, also can be performed if the lesion appears unusual or recurs after treatment. Identification of precise HPV genotypes is available only in research laboratories by using DNA hybridization techniques.

The Doctor performed to you the Acetic Acid 5% test, it is not recommended that you do it by yourself, it has to be done by a physician, and yes it is sufficient to identify infection with genital warts.