Molluscum Contagiosum - Symptoms & Treatment

Molluscum contagiosum is a benign viral skin infection characterized by skin-colored to pearl-like papules or nodules on the skin. Incidence of infection is higher in males, with the greater incidence occurring in children under age 5 and in young adults. In adults, it occurs as a transmitted disease, appearing in the genitalia. Molluscum can infect any part of the skin. The bumps usually are not itchy or painful and may be discovered only coincidentally during a physical examination. However, the bumps can become very inflamed (resembling a boil) and itchy as the body fights off the virus. This inflammatory response may herald the disappearance of the lesions. Most growths disappear spontaneously in 1 to 2 years; no treatment is needed unless they are disfiguring or otherwise bothersome. The growths can be treated by freezing or removing their core with a needle or sharp scraping instrument (curette). Sometimes doctors give high doses of cimetidine by mouth or apply trichloroacetic acid or cantharidin to molluscum. Others prescribe retinoic acid or imiquimod cream, which is applied for weeks or months.

Molluscum contagiosum is a skin rash caused by a virus first described in 1817. It is a member of the Poxvirus family. It causes a rash of tiny sores that can appear on areas of your skin or on the mucus glands of your eyes, mouth, nose, or genitals. Affecting almost 8% of the world's population, molluscum contagiosum can affect men, women, and children. There are few health risks associated with molluscum contagiosum, however, the infection can be quite uncomfortable and long lasting. Molluscum are usually small, flesh-colored or pink, dome shaped growths. They may appear shiny and have a small indentation in the center. Molluscum are often found in clusters of the skin of the chest, abdomen, arms, groin, or buttock. They can also involve the face and eyelids. The molluscum virus is transmitted from the skin of one person who has these growths to the skin of another person. Molluscum occur where most often skin-to-skin contact is frequent. They often occur in young children, especially among siblings. Molluscum can be transmitted and may be spread in swimming pools.

Causes of Molluscum Contagiosum

Molluscum contagiosum is caused by a virus of the Proxvirus family known as Molluscipoxvirus. It spreads through direct contact and autoinoculation; fomites may also aid in viral spread. The virus spreads in children through direct contact and through contact in adults. It spreads to other parts of the body by autoinoculation; when scratching the infected area, the virus gets under the fingernails and is reinoculated when another area of the body is scratched.

Signs and Symptoms of Molluscum Contagiosum

Sign and symptoms may include the following :

• Painless
• Dimple in center
• Small (2 - 5 millimeter diameter)
• Initially firm, flesh-colored, pearl-like, dome-shaped
• Central core or plug of white, cheesy or waxy material
• Common locations in adults: genitals, abdomen, inner thigh

Treatment for Molluscum Contagiosum

Treatment may include:

• Molluscum lesions may go away on their own in six to nine months, but treatment is recommended to prevent auto-inoculation and to avoid infecting other people.
• The most popular treatments are scraping of the lesions, or removal using heat or cold (called cryotherapy, and performed with liquid nitrogen).
• In people with normal immune systems, the disorder usually disappears spontaneously over a period of months to years.
• Pulsed dye laser therapy for molluscum contagiosum may be the treatment of choice for multiple lesions in a cooperative patient.
• Imiquimod cream .
• Cantharidine.
• Over-the-counter wart preparations