1 - HPV is rare in virgins. The virus can be transmitted even with a condom. The virus is most commonly transmitted during vaginal and anal sex but can be transmitted during hand to genital sex and oral sex. He did acquire his HPV infection from someone.
Genital HPV infections are
uncommon in women reporting
no previous sexual intercourse,
appearing in less than 2% of
2 - Many people acquire HPV from there fist sex partner. It can take months to years for abnormal cell to develop.
3 - Studies have shown that HPV doesn’t ping pong back and forth.
When one partner has HPV lesions caused by a particular virus type, it is most likely that the other partner shares the same virus type, although this is often impossible to prove. Several studies indicate that "shared HPV" does not "ping-pong" back and forth. There is evidence that using condoms may decrease the viral exposure and speed the clearance of HPV related disease. The decreased viral load may allow the individual's own immune system a better chance of eliminating the virus.
4 - Studies have shown that men do seem to fight an HPV infection faster than a woman does. But researchers and doctor haven’t been studying the infection in men as long as they have been in women.
5 - No condoms have not been shown to be of much benefit in a persistent progressive HPV infection but condoms in the short term have shown to help the virus regress, to aid in the healing of the cervix and to reduce the viral load of the virus to the cervix.
6 - I don’t think it would helpful be of benefit to your relationship to abstain from sex for 3 years. This would be something for both of you discuss and agree to. How a person immune system is effective by the virus is individual to each person’s immune system.
7 - At this time there is no test that can detect the virus in a low viral load. Once we know more HPV testing in the male…and more about HPV testing in general then maybe you can get a better answer to this question. When your infection is no longer active or replicating causing abnormal cell changes then your HPV test will be negative.
8 - No guarantees here, the body’s immune system does control the virus in about two year for most women…most women not having the virus persist or progress …immunity is not necessarily forever…reactivation of the virus can occur if your immune system were to weaken years after acquiring the virus. Pap testing allows your doctor to monitor your cervix, see abnormal cell changes when they occur…and recommend treatments when necessary. Pap testing is until age 65 or 70 as determined by your doctor.
The gradual development of
an effective immune response
is thought to be the likely
mechanism for HPV DNA
clearance.4 However, it is also
possible that the virus remains in
a non-detectable dormant state
and then reactivates many years
later. This may explain why HPV
may be newly detected in some older women who have been in a
long-term mutually monogamous
relationship.
“In effect, HPV is able to mimic our own chromosomes, behaving as a sort of ‘mini-chromosome’, independently replicating and keeping pace as the cellular chromosomes replicate and the cell divides,” says Tom Broker, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics and co-author of the paper. “This allows the virus to remain in our bodies indefinitely, with the potential of causing serious disease years, even decades, after first exposure.”
www.ipvsoc.org
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/common-clinicians/ClinicianBro-fp.pdf
http://www.asccp.org/hpv_history.shtml
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/ factsheet/Risk/HPV
LSIL—Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion. Low-grade means there are early changes in the size and shape of the cells. The word lesion refers to an area of abnormal tissue. LSILs are considered mild abnormalities caused by HPV infection and are a common condition, especially among young women. The majority of LSILs return to normal over months to a few years.
HSIL—High-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion. High-grade means that the cells look very different in size and shape from normal cells. HSILs are more severe abnormalities and may eventually lead to cancer if left untreated.
Pap test results may also be described using an older set of categories called the “dysplasia scale.” Dysplasia is a term used to describe abnormal cells. Although dysplasia is not cancer, it may develop into very early cancer of the cervix. The cells look abnormal under the microscope, but they do not invade nearby healthy tissue. There are four degrees of dysplasia: mild, moderate, severe, and carcinoma in situ. Carcinoma in situ is a precancerous condition that involves only the layer of cells on the surface of the cervix, and has not spread to nearby tissues. In the Bethesda System, mild dysplasia is classified as LSIL; moderate or severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ are combined into HSIL.
Good luck to both of you.