These are wart like tumors of the skin which are caused by the molluscum contagious virus which is a DNA poxvirus. It is mainly found in young children and it affects the arms, body and legs. This disease spreads through saliva, direct contact or shared articles of clothing. In case of adults, the infection is sexually transmitted and it generally affects the buttocks, genitals, lower abdomen and inner thighs. In rare cases it spreads to mouth and lips. It has been found to infect humans but there have been isolated cases of this infection occurring in chicken, pigeons, dogs and horses. This infection can be found worldwide and it occurs mainly in children, sexually active adults and people who are immuno deficient. The incidence of this infection has increased over the last thirty years mainly as a STD and it is quite widespread as a result of concurrent HIV infection. Since it is contagious, therefore physical activity should be restricted in order to avoid transmitting it to others.

It spreads more extensively in skin that already has eczema or in individuals with weakened immune system. In case of healthy individuals, molluscum lesions last for six to eight weeks. If the infection spreads continuously, new lesions appear over time and the mean duration lasts for about eight months and in some cases it can last for up to five years. If the lesions become infected it may result in scars.

Cause

It is caused by molluscum virus which gets transmitted from the skin of one person who has these growths to the skin of another person. It occurs in cases where there is frequent skin to skin contact and it is found mainly in young children.

Symptoms

The symptoms of molluscum contagiosum include lesions which are dome shaped, flesh colored and pea sized bumps with a dimpled center that may cause itching, cause irritation or pain. In around 10% of the cases, eczema develops around the lesions.

Treatment

As this infection is self limited therefore treatment is optional. In mild cases, over the counter wart medicines such as salicylic acid may shorten the duration of the infection. Resolution may be triggered by topical application of tretinoin cream. In one of the studies it was found that repeated application of adhesive or duct tape after bathing for sixteen weeks led to cure in 90% of the cases.

Surgical treatments such as cryosurgery are used for freezing and destroying lesions as well as scraping them off with a curette. In case of multiple lesions, pulsed dye laser therapy may be used for treating them.