Intralesional candida antigen versus intralesional varicella zoster vaccine in treatment of molluscum contagiosum: A new promising alternative

Abstract

Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is a self-limited but notoriously highly infectious viral infection. It is often encountered by children. Most traditional therapies are invasive and have a high rate of recurrence. Intralesional immunotherapy is a recent noninvasive modality with promising results. To evaluate and compare the efficacy of candida antigen and varicella zoster vaccine (VZV) in the treatment of MC, 48 patients with MC were allocated randomly into two groups: group A, treated with biweekly intralesional candida antigen injected at a dose of 0.3 mL/session and group B treated with biweekly intralesional VZV injection at a dose of 0.1 mL/session both for a maximum of five sessions. In group B, response was complete in 50% of patients, partial in 37.5% of them, and absent in 12.5%, while in the candida group, complete clearance was observed in 37.5% of patients, partial response in 50% of them, and no response in 12.5%, with no statistically significant difference in the response between the two groups. Intralesional immunotherapy is safe and effective in treating MC. Candida antigen efficacy was established in several studies and VZV represents a new promising therapeutic agent with comparable results.