Molluscum Contagiosum
Talley Whang, MD
Chad Jessup, MD, MS
Martin C. Mihm, Jr., MD
Key Facts
Etiology/Pathogenesis
Caused by molluscum contagiosum viruses (poxvirus), transmitted by skin-to-skin contact
Clinical Issues
Primarily affects young children; in adults, considered STI; also affects immunosuppressed individuals
Dome-shaped papules with central umbilication; may number from a few to hundreds
Treatment: Watchful waiting (spontaneous resolution is the rule in healthy children); chemical, destructive, and immunologic methods
Microscopic Pathology
Hyperplastic epidermis with crater filled with distinct molluscum bodies (large, eosinophilic to basophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions that push aside nucleus)
 Flesh-colored to slightly erythematous dome-shaped papules with central umbilication  are the hallmark of molluscum contagiosum. |
 Low-power image reveals a crater filled with large eosinophilic  to basophilic viral inclusions with extrusion of molluscum bodies into the ostia corresponding to the clinical umbilication  . |
TERMINOLOGY
Abbreviations
Molluscum contagiosum (MC)
Definitions
Infectious papules caused by poxvirus
ETIOLOGY/PATHOGENESIS
Infectious Agents
Caused by molluscum contagiosum virus (poxvirus), transmitted by skin-to-skin contact
CLINICAL ISSUES
Epidemiology
Age
Primarily affects young children, especially those with compromised epidermal barrier (i.e., atopic dermatitis)
In adults, molluscum is considered sexually transmitted and may coexist with other STIs
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