Be Ware toward Molluscum Contagiosum as Reflection of a Viral Infection

Molluscum contagiosum is an outgrowth of skin which reflects a viral infection. The virus molluscum contagiosum, which belongs to the family of the pox virus, is the responsible infectious agent.

What is molluscum contagiosum?

Molluscum contagiosum is an outgrowth of skin which reflects a viral infection. The virus molluscum contagiosum, which belongs to the family of the pox virus, is the responsible infectious agent. As its name indicates, the molluscum contagiosum spreads easily through contact with the skin. Molluscum contagiosum occurs in children or spreads through contact, but it is also a communicable sexual disease found rather in adolescents and young adults. Molluscum is a mild infection and contagious skin, it tends to heal spontaneously in the absence of treatment.

What looks like a molluscum contagiosum?

Molluscum comes in the form of an outgrowth that forms a depressed Pearl in the centre. These beads are white or the color of the skin, they are 2-5 mm in diameter. The molluscum often occur in groups of a few to a few dozen, and can locate anywhere on the body. In young children, the molluscum readily affect the neck, axillary folds, trunk, face and eyelids but also the abdomen, buttocks, thighs or arms. In adults and the adoiescents, they sit at the level of the genital regions, the thighs and the lower part of the abdomen and are most often transmitted sexually.

The molluscum can ignite and become red, which often announces their next disappearance.

A red, grainy, spot that itchy, sometimes surrounds the molluscum: it's a plate of eczema most often found in children who have a constitutional eczema or atopic eczema.

How catch of molluscum?

The molluscum contagiosum virus is generally transmitted by direct contact of the skin with an infected person; It is also spread to the surrounding skin by contact or scratching. Although this is rare, it is possible to contract the molluscum by indirect contact with personal effects such as the towels. The incubation period, since the contact contaminant until the appearance of the buttons, ranges from two weeks to six months.

The molluscum often occur among children aged 2 to 12 years; contamination occurs readily in sports activities or when promiscuity and contacts between children are important (public swimming pools, showers, bathrooms, sports of contacts).

The molluscum can affect adolescents and adults who they are readily transmitted sexually, especially when they are located on the genital regions.

Suggestion:

• Temporarily avoid promiscuity of children contaminated with others at the baths, pool or activities for the practice of sports contacts. 
• Avoid sharing towels toilet used by infected patients. 
• Discourage the scratching of the molluscum: this encourages their dissemination. 
• Avoid sexual contact during the period where one has molluscum.

How your doctor make the diagnosis of molluscum?

A simple review of the skin is usually sufficient. If in doubt, your doctor can examine under the microscope a molluscum from the curette to confirm his diagnosis.

What is the natural history and prognosis of the molluscum?

Molluscum is a benign condition that usually heals spontaneously. But when some molluscum disappear, others may occur by contamination of the surrounding skin. It may take six months to five years for all molluscum permanently disappear without treatment.

The extension of the molluscum is sometimes more important in children with atopic eczema.

Patients reach AIDS are more susceptible to molluscum spread or reach a large size.

Should we treat the molluscum?

Some doctors recommend to treat the molluscum, because they disappear spontaneously. In France, dermatologists are favourable to the molluscum treatment to avoid their dissemination and shorten the duration of natural evolution.

How dermatologists treat the molluscum?

The most effective treatment is probably scratching of the molluscum with a curette, but this procedure is a little painful. It often requires a local anaesthetic with the help of a cream applied an hour previously. The molluscum freezing with liquid nitrogen is also a frequently used method. Several treatment sessions spaced 3 to 6 weeks are often necessary, because of the appearance of new lesions or if the molluscum are many.

Other methods, such as delicate electrocoagulation, laser, local cream retinoid or substances such as the cantharidin, applications are best in France, but more rarely.

This may be considered to treat the molluscum pending their spontaneous disappearance, particularly in young children when the molluscum are many.

Are there new treatments in preparation?

Several interesting therapeutic are being evaluated. A basis of imiquimod cream, that modulates the defences of the body, is already successfully used in the treatment of genital warts. A cream that contains an antiviral substance (cidofovir) is also in experimentation.

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