Moluscum symptoms - signs of molluscum contagiosum
Moluscum - or molluscum contagiosum with a correct medical name - is a skin condition that comes from a virus. Moluscum symptoms are signs of small spots, pearl-shaped and often pink. Molluscium is frequently seen in children and in most of the cases moluscium treatment and cure is unnecessary as it will heal by itself.
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Moluscum (latin name: molluscum contagiosum) develops from an infection by the pox virus. Molluscium resembles warts (wharts) but although appearing similarly, they are not the same condition. This is a contagious condition, transfering via skin contact or via an indirect contact such (towels etc). Symptoms of molluscum contagiosum will often be seen within two to seven weeks after the molluscum infection.
Molluscum contagiousum is frequently seen in children, mainly due to the fact that children have not developed their immune system to a defence level comparable to adults in relation to defence against different viruses. Analogous, molluscium can also be seen in people suffering from other immune system diseases, such as infections by HIV.
Signs of moluscum contagiosum symptoms
- Frequent minor dimples seen on limbs and face. Typically pearl-shaped, pink and rather tiny.
- Molluscum can also transfer sexually and will then appear on the genitals, or in the vicinity.
Molluscum contagiousum treatment and cure
The normal development is that any molluscum will heal by themselves and just disappear after a short while, maybe as much as up to a few months. Treatment of moluscum in children with this problem is therefore not usually necessary and normal action is to leave the molluscum infection to heal with no medical treatment. Only in in the case of very severe moluscum, it will be required to resort to any molluscum treatment options. The available moluscum cures are surgery or freezing.
Most frequent treatments used for molluscum contagiosum:
- Moluscum contagiousum freeze by the use of liquid nitrogen
- Chemical treatment of the symptoms, for blistering, or acids
- Treatment with electrical needels - this cure is called electrocautery
- Molluscium surgery
- Laser treatment of moluscium symptoms is also an option
- Molluscum contagiousum cream can be used for treatment or temporary relief
There are a number of different topical creams or gels available for home use and treatment. Some anti-viral medicines and immune modififiers can also be used as treatment in some cases.
Molluscum contagiosum is a condition that is created by an infection of the poxvirus of the Molluscipox virus type, producing an eruption that is papular and self-contained, consisting of several umbilicated and cutaneous tumors. It is a common virus condition that is restricted to the skin and in some cases to the mucous membranes. For transmission to happen, it is required that there is direct contact with someone infected, or with a contaminated fomite.
Moluscum is normally seen as a human condition only but there have been some reports of moluscum contagiosum seen in dog, horse and a few bird types. The moluscium infection is a worldwide condition with higher frequency in children, in people with immune system deficiency and in the sexually active.
The condition was first discovered and documented by Bateman in the early 19th century. Later, in the early 1840's, Paterson and Henderson documented the intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies that later became known as mollusci, or under the name of Henderson-Paterson bodies. In the first years of the 20th century, Kingery, Wile and Juliusberg managed to isolate filterable virus from different lesions and they proved the incidence of transmission. There are some interesting contributions later by Goodpasture.
The moluscum congatiosum virus - MCV - is found all over the world, with a higher frequency in tropical countries. This condition is more often seen in children and if often affects face, arms, legs. This is an endemic condition that is seen in higher frequency where there are bad hygiene and overcrowded conditions. It has become more frequent over the last decades, mainly in its sexually transmitted form. It affects between two and eight percent of the global population (at some time).
Moluscium appearance in children
Where young children are affected, it is possible to use freezing or scraping or one of the available laser molluscum removal methods. The laser methods can be a bit too painful for younger children, so treatment with these methods are usually saved for treating older children instead. Treating a child more than once, might well be required and this depends on the number of infected locations there are but also as well that it there may develop more sites during the course of the treatment itself.Treating molluscium contagiosum (moluscum relief cure) will typically only be performed in children where the symptoms are severe in the molluscum condition, such as facial molluscum or infections in other uncomfortable places. In most other cases though, the problem is usually left left alone and will heal by itself. Signs of moluscum symptoms treatment and molluscum (molluscium) cure.