Molluscum Contagiosum sexual transmitted disease
Molluscum contagiosum is a chronic disease caused by DNA poxvirus (the largest virus known) through direct skin contact.
It affects the oral mucosa (mouth, tongue), the genital parts of the body, palms and even soles.
It manifests by red, yellow, white or translucent umbilicated lesions, accompanied by itching and pain, that appears in the infected areas in a period between 14 to 50 days from the contact. Sometimes, papules can break out and transforming in softer gray spots. The number of the papules vary and can even get few hundreds.
Still, most patients are asymptomatic.
The virus can be spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by infected needle or towels.
Because molluscum can spread very rapidly on the entire body, hands should be carefully washed with water and soap after every touch or scratch of the infected area. In some exceptionally cases, have been reported eyelids and conjunctiva.
Sometimes, the patient with AIDS or with a low immune system can present some worse reactions of the disease- fever, pain, even bleeding.
Lesions may persists from a few weeks to few years, but usually they disappear by themselves, in the absence of any treatment.
Still, a medical visit has to be made, for quicken the recovery.
Diagnosis will be based on a analysis or by skin biopsy for establishing the gravity of the disease.
The treatment will consists of surgically removal, some medications, curettage or home cryosurgery (liquid nitrogen or ice applied daily on each lesion for few seconds).
For avoiding the molluscum contagiosum infection, it has to be removed any sources of the infection. Still, condoms can not fully protect from this disease, but he can minimize the chances of getting infected.