This document discusses molluscum contagiosum, a common viral skin infection caused by the molluscum contagiosum virus. It primarily affects children and sexually active adults. The infection causes multiple pink or white dome-shaped papules with a central umbilication containing a white plug. Lesions are usually found on the trunk, face, extremities and intertriginous areas in children, and the peri-anal and genital areas in adults. While self-limiting, treatment options include surgical removal or destruction of lesions through curettage, electrodessication or cryosurgery, or applying medical treatments like trichloracetic acid or lactic/salicylic acid solutions.

1. II. Common Laprosy Look-alike
Skin Viral Infection
By: Ashvini Bavda

3. Molluscu Contagiosum
• Definition:
 Molluscu Contagiosum is benign, self-limited viral infection
caused by a poxvirus, i.e. Molluscu Contagiosum virus (MCV)

4. Epidemiology
• Prevalence:
 Common in children and sexually active adults.
 Children with actopic dematitis and adults with HIV
and immunocompromised individuals tend to have
more extensive lesions and more prolonged duration
of disease.

5. Epidemiology
• Transmission:
 Direct skin to skin/ mucous membrane contact (particularly
during sexual activity) or through fomites.
 Close contact sports (e.g. wrestling), bath towels and
swimming pools also been reported as sources of infection.

6. Clinical Features
• Gross appearance:
 Multiple, discrete, firm, small (1-5mm) dome shaped pink to
pearly white or flesh colored papules with central umblication
containing a white curd like or “sago grain”- like plug (known
as molluscum bodies or Henderson Paterson bodies)

7. Distribution
• In children:
 The lesions may occur in group or in linear array and
are usually seen in the trunk, face, extremities and
the intertriginous areas (e.g. axillae, groin, popliteal
areas).
• In adults:
 Peri-anal and genital areas.

8. Distribution
• Clinical course:
 Depend upon promptness of treatment.
• Incubation period:
 2-7 days
 Lesion can spread through the autoinoculation or
koebnerization.
 Spontaneous resolution usually occures though it will
take months to years.

9. Distribution
• Symptoms:
 Asymptomatic unless if lesions are irritated,
inflamed or secondary infected..
• Diagnosis:
 Usually made clinically, because the characteristic
papule with central umblication is distinctive for
molluscum contagiosum.

10. Differential Diagnosis
• In Immunocompetent indivisuals:
 Histoid leprosy
 Verruca
 Acne
 Millia
 sebaceous hyperplasia
 syringoma

11. Differential Diagnosis
• In immunocompromised patients
especially those with HIV:
 Penicillosis
 Cryptococcosis
 histoplasmosi

12. Differential Diagnosis
• Laboratory
Diagnosis:
 Diagnosis is confirmed by
expressing the lesion to
obtain a crush preparation
of the central curd-like
material and staining with
Giemsa or Wright’s stain.

13. Treatment
• Watchful waiting since lesions heal spontaneously. However,
although molluscum contagionsum resolves spontaneously in
healthy individuals, its protracted course, the risk of
autoinoculation and/or secondary bacterial infection and
transmission to others warrants treatment of the diasease
either surgically or medically.

14. Treatment
• In children:
 Medical modality is preferred because surgery is
usually upsetting/traumatic for young children.
• In adults:
 Surgical therapy (initially, since it is fast and effective)
followed by medical modality for subsequent lesions
that will appear (a usual occurrence).

15. Treatment
1) Surgical therapy
 Removal or destruction of the molluscum body
through any of the following modalities will result in
resolution of the lesions.
Light curettage
Electrodessication
cryosurgery

16. Treatment
2) Medical therapy
 Use of 5% trichloracetic acid solution
A cotton-tipped swab is applied to individual papular
lesions for a few seconds until they turn white. The treated white
papules will become crusted and heal in 10 days.

17. Treatment
 Use of duofilm (10.7% lactic acid, 16.7% salicylic
acid) solution.
Duofilm is applied daily directly to the lesions and
allowed to dry. This is continued for 14 days. In 2-5 days the
lesions will turn white and in 7-14 days they will encrust.
 If lesions persist treatment should be repeated at
weekly intervals.