Definition

Noun: A viral skin infection characterized by small, round, firm, and typically painless bumps (papules) that are white, pink, or flesh-colored. The condition is contagious and spread through direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with contaminated objects.

Usage

The term is used exclusively as a medical noun to name the specific viral infection. - It is often discussed in dermatological, pediatric, and infectious disease contexts. - The phrase is typically used in its full form, as it is a proper medical term.

Examples

• The pediatrician diagnosed the child's skin rash as molluscum contagiosum.
• Molluscum contagiosum is common in young children but can also affect adults.
• The lesions caused by molluscum contagiosum usually disappear on their own, but treatment is sometimes sought for cosmetic reasons or to prevent spread.

Advanced Usage

• The term is frequently abbreviated in clinical notes as "MC."
• It is often modified by descriptors of severity or location, e.g., "disseminated molluscum contagiosum," "facial molluscum contagiosum."

Variants and Related Words

• Molluscum: Often used informally as a shortened form of the full term in medical contexts.
  • The patient has a history of molluscum.
• Molluscum body or Molluscum body (Henderson-Paterson body): Refers to the large, distinctive viral particles visible under a microscope within the skin lesions.

Synonyms

• Molluscum (informal/clinically abbreviated)
• Water warts (a common, non-medical descriptive term)

Notes on Different Meanings

This term has only one specific meaning in modern English: the named viral skin infection. It is not used idiomatically or in non-medical contexts.

Noun

1. a virus disease of the skin marked by round white swellings; transmitted from person to person (most often in children or in adults with impaired immune function)