Warts, molluscs Medical: Mollusca contagiosaDell’s warts (also: Mollusca contagiosa, molluscs) are harmless skin changes that belong to the group of warts and are caused by a specific virus from the smallpox group, namely the DNA virus Molluscum contagiosum. This type of wart mainly affects children and young people and is highly contagious. Dell’s warts get their name from their characteristic appearance.
The warts are usually impressive as nodules about 2-6 mm in size, either skin-coloured or slightly reddish or whitish, with a dent in the middle and often with a slightly shiny surface. In principle, mollusc warts can appear anywhere on the body, but they are more common on the face (often on the eyelids), neck, armpits, upper body, hands or, especially in adults, in the genital region. Dell’s warts always occur several times, sometimes individually, sometimes in groups distributed over the body. In the depression of the warts there is a mushy, whitish, sebaceous content, which consists of many cells infected with the virus and sometimes empties outwards under pressure.
Transmission of the molluscicles
There are two different ways of transferring Dell’s warts:
- One possibility is direct physical contact (contact infection), in which the virus is transmitted directly from person to person. This process is responsible for the fact that one can also become infected during sexual intercourse. – The second possibility is the so-called smear infection, in which the virus is transmitted by touching an intermediate object.
This also explains why children are often infected in swimming pools or kindergartens, where hygiene conditions are often not optimal and where, for example, towels, toys, clothes or similar objects are shared. Due to these favourable conditions for spreading the virus, it is assumed that between 2 and 8% of the world population are infected with the virus. After infection, the first warts usually appear after about two weeks to six months.
In principle, anyone can be infected with Dell’s warts. However, there are some groups of people who are more likely to be infected due to certain factors. These include children (mainly because they are not yet very hygienic), people with neurodermatitis (because the skin is very dry and usually already damaged) or people with a limited immune status (for example, due to certain diseases such as HIV infection or cancer, or due to treatment with drugs that suppress the immune system, such as cortisone). Often patients with dell’s warts are completely free of symptoms, but sometimes there is also a not negligible itching (especially if the skin is already dry). In risk groups the manifestation on the skin can sometimes be so pronounced that those affected feel restricted in their quality of life due to this clear external appearance.
