Verruca Vulgaris (Common Warts)

A 14-year-old schoolboy presents with multiple rough, raised, painless lesions on the dorsum of his hands and around the cuticles that have slowly enlarged over 6 months. On close inspection with a dermatoscope, the lesions marked **A** show characteristic pinpoint black dots. When the lesion is pared with a blade, the normal skin lines (dermatoglyphics) are eliminated, distinguishing this from a corn. Histological examination reveals koilocytes in the granular layer. Which of the following best describes the pathological significance of the black dots seen in the lesions marked **A**?