Molluscum information

[david1998]

I recently had sex with a friend, and two days later she developed a rash.  She went to get checked out and was diagnosed with Molluscum.  She also had sex with another man a few weeks ago.  From reading on this STD, it seems the rashes may not break out for a few weeks.  This leads me to believe that I was most likely not the one who infected her.  Since her first breakout occured after I was with her, what are the chances that I have inherited the STD.  I am currently not showing any symptoms, which means I would have to pay a few hundred dollars to get a thorough test done.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your reading is correct; it takes at least a couple of weeks for molluscum lesions to develop, so you could not have been the source of your friend's infection.  You need to be on the lookout for lesions, since you were exposed to her infection.  However, many (most?) people are immune, having been previously infected with molluscum, which most commonly is an infection of young children.  So most likely you won't get it.  On the other hand, to avoid transmitting to other persons, you should avoid sex with other people for a few weeks, until you know for sure that you are free of the infection.  (Condoms aren't good protection against MCV, because most lesions occur above the penis, typically in the pubic area.)



For now, you don't need to get checked out.  If or when you do, the most expert STD care normally is available at your local health department STD clinic, which will be free or very low cost, nothing like the "few hundred dollars" you are concerned about.



Good luck-- HHH, MD

[david1998]

I was reading it is a member of the Pox family.  In the case that you have had chicken pox, would you then be immune to getting this disease?



You mentioned people being immune for previously having it, which leads me to believe that once the bumps go away, you'll never get them again?



Thanks for your quick reply HHH.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

No, there is no cross immunity across members of the same families of virus, and a person immunized against smallpox, for example, is fully susceptible to the molluscum contagiosum virus.  (However, despite the name, chickenpox is not a caused by a poxvirus; it's a type of herpes.)



There haven't been many studies of immunity to the molluscum contagiosum virus, primarily because it is such a trivial disease both in kids and when sexually transmitted in adults.  The general belief by experts is that once lesions resolve, a person is immune from catching it again.  But if there are good data to prove it, I am unaware of it.



HHH, MD

[david1998]

I was reading it is a member of the Pox family.  In the case that you have had chicken pox, would you then be immune to getting this disease?



You mentioned people being immune for previously having it, which leads me to believe that once the bumps go away, you'll never get them again?



Thanks for your quick reply HHH.

[steve123]

So when you say resolve,  do you mean when your immune system kicks in or when all the lessions are manually removed?  I've had it since August and have become somewhat of an expert at removing them without any secondary infections or anything.  Once core is removed,  the skin is healed in about a week.  But it seems that If I look really close,  I can always find at least 1 of them but it is so small it is barely noticeable.  One was like this for a month and never did anything,  but just yesterday it flared up and doubled in size in like day or so.  It looked like my skin was trying to push out the core or something.  Anyway,  I removed the core (was real easy at this point) and now my skin is going back to normal.   So I guess my questions is.  How are these continueing to spread and cause new ones?  If it is just from contact,  can I do something to minimize it?  like maybe use baby powder to keep the skin down there dry so it doesn't transmit with sweat, etc.?   I'm thinking about going to the derm and just getting fully check out and all lessions removed at once if they can be found.

[TonyOde]

Steve, I was curious if you ever went to the derm to get checked out, and if so, what did the derm do, have to say? I think I may have Molluscum, as mine sounds very similar to yours. I haven't yet had it checked out, but I am going to soon.

Thanks for your reply.