The prevalence of virus warts of the hands of workers seen in a poultry processing and packing station was found to be 38.2 per cent. From the scrapings of a sample of the warts the common human papova virus was identified in each case. In order to determine the significance of this a control population of textile workers at a nearby factory was also examined and found to have a prevalence of virus warts of the hands of 11.9 per cent. The wearing of gloves in the poultry station was shown to protect significantly against warts of the hands. Possible reasons for this high prevalence of warts of the hands in the poultry handlers are discussed.
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