THE MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM VIRUS : WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
The Molluscum contagiosum virus causes small bumps on the skin that are usually flesh colored but range in color from white to yellow to pink. The lesions do not usually itch or hurt. There may be only a few lesions or there may be many, and individual lesions may grow together to form larger bumps. The bumps have a characteristic “dent” or umbil-ication in the center, which can be hard to see. If a lesion is lanced with a sterile needle, a white core can be expressed, as when one squeezes a pimple; this core contains the virus particles.
The lesions can become infected, and this makes them difficult to distinguish from lesions resulting from other infections, such as herpes. People with molluscum—and even some health care providers— often confuse the lesions with warts.
The lesions appear between one week and six months after infection, and the interval may occasionally be even longer, up to several years in certain cases. This does not mean that a person hasbeen reinfected: the virus acquired from the initial infection can continue to show skin manifestations for a long time.
The bumps, when they are sexually transmitted, can appear anywhere in the genital area and sometimes on the upper thighs and lower abdomen. They usually appear on outside skin surfaces rather than on mucosal surfaces. If the bumps are left untreated, they will eventually disappear on their own and heal without scarring, but this may take some time. Lesions can vanish within one week of appearing, or it may take several years (the range is one week to four years). Most lesions resolve on their own within a few months.
People with other skin disorders, such as eczema, may have more difficulty clearing molluscum. Using topical steroids may also delay healing of the molluscum, since the steroids inhibit the body’s immune response where they are applied. The use of oral steroids for another medical problem, such as asthma, can delay healing, as can suppression of the immune system as a result of other medical problems, such as AIDS. An evaluation for an underlying immune system problem should be considered in someone with widespread molluscum (that is, lesions all over the body or outside the usual areas of infection). Such widespread lesions can be difficult to treat.
*346\213\8*
