Warts among meat handlers

Abstract

The Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Retail Food Store Employees, Local 342, which represents meat handlers in the greater New York City area, wanted to determine whether warts were a significant problem among their membership. Findings from a prevalence study showed that the proportion of meat handlers who reported having warts (23.1%) was significantly higher than that for non-meat handlers (9.9%). The younger meat handlers had warts more frequently than did their older co-workers; there were no differences between the sexes. No one particular brand or type of meat could be associated with warts. Statistical tests of association indicated that meat handlers were more likely to have warts because of their occupation. We found that the switch to the Cryovac meat-packing process may have increased the likelihood of warts, although further study is needed to test that association.

Clinical Manifestations of the Human Papillomavirus

“…In these cases, the lesions are clinically more exuberant and recalcitrant to treatment [3]. It is important to highlight a particular collective group composed of butchers and slaughterhouse workers who, without immunosuppression, have a higher risk compared to the general population [4,5]. This group has an increased incidence of the HPV7 subtype, and it is thought that some component of meat favors the replication of this viral subtype [6,7].…”

“…Also described are hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis, focal acanthosis, koilocytosis and mitosoid figures (cells that present degenerative nuclear changes that simulate mitosis) in superficial keratinocytes [3,4]. When HPV DNA is detected, either by PCR or in situ hybridization, Genotypes 12 and 32 are appreciated in more than 90% of cases and in Types 1 and 11.…”

Ungual warts: comparison of treatment with intralesional bleomycin and electroporation in terms of efficacy and safety

“…1 HPV subtypes 1, 2, 4, 27 and 57 are associated with lesions in children and young adults. [2][3][4] The main condition in the differential diagnosis is squamous cell carcinoma. 1,[5][6][7][8][9] A biopsy should be considered prior to the onset of treatment, especially in older lesions that were resistant to previous procedures, located on a single finger, and in over 40-to 50-year-old patients.…”

Warts of the Nail Unit: Surgical and Nonsurgical Approaches

“…Certain occupations are susceptible to the occurrence of periungual warts; for instance, up to 23% of handlers of meat, fish, and poultry develop warts in the periungual region (butchers' warts). 2 Butchers' warts are not contracted by animals, since HPV is highly host specific and humans are not infected by other animal papillomaviruses, but they are favored by continuous skin maceration. 3 Papillomavirus 2 or 7 are commonly isolated in butcher's warts.…”