Molluscum contagiosum is caused by a virus, a member of the poxvirus family. Pox viruses are brick or oval-shaped viruses.

The virus may be sexually transmitted by skin-to-skin contact (it does not have to be mucous membranes) and/or lesions. It appears most common in children but can affect adults as well, especially those with weakened immune systems.

In adults with an otherwise normal immune system, molluscum contagiosum involving the genitals is considered a sexually transmitted infection.

It can be spread sexually and by non-sexual contact through contaminated objects like towels, clothing or sex toys.

Symptoms

Symptoms include shiny, smooth, white, dimpled bumps with a curd-like core and itching on the genitals and trunk area. Bumps on the skin can be the only sign that a person has molluscum contagiosum. These bumps often appear about seven weeks after exposure to the virus that causes molluscum. Sometimes, the bumps do not appear for many months.

When the bumps appear on the skin, they often:

•             Begin as small, firm, dome-shaped growths.

•             Have a surface that feels smooth, waxy, or pearly.

•             Are flesh or pink coloured.

•             Have a dimple in the centre (The dimple may be filled with a thick, white substance that is cheesy or waxy).

•             Are painless, but some bumps itch.

•             Turn red as the person’s immune system fights the virus.

•             Appear on other areas of the body after a person scratches or picks the bumps (Scratching or picking can spread the virus)