The disease occurs world-wide and is spread by direct contact or fomites. In general it tends to occur in children. The disease by may transmitted from skin to skin after sexual intercourse. A diagnosis can usually be made on clinical appearance alone. Unlike other poxviruses, molluscum have not been demonstrated to grow in cell culture.
Infection is usually benign and painless, with spontaneous recovery in most cases.
Where treatment is required for cosmetic reasons, various procedures are available such as curretage, cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen, silver nitrate etc. which are routinely used for the removal of warts. Tanapox Tanapox is a poxvirus infection first recognized in 1957 in the Tana River area of Kenya. It is a zoonosis, human cases have only been seen in the Tana valley and Zaire. The distribution of the virus and the real extent of the human infection is not known, as is the method of transmission of infection. The virus produces a mild febrile illness with one or two skin lesions.