RESOLUTION OF RECALCITRANT MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM VIRUS LESIONS IN HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-INFECTED PATIENTS TREATED WITH CIDOFOVIR

Background: Molluscum contagiosum virus (Ivf CV) causes cutaneous skin growths that mainly affect children, sexually active adults, and immu nocompromised individuals. Lesions of MCV in patients infected with hu man immunodeficiency virus can be large and numerous, and response to available treatments is often unsatisfactory. Observations: We describ e 3 men infected with human immunodeficiency virus who presented with extensive MCV lesions that were not responsive to various treatments. Patient I demonstrated dramatic clearing of his MCV lesions when intra venous cidofovir therapy was started for his treatment-resistant bilat eral CMV retinitis and because of cidofovir's possible activity agains t MCV. In case 2, cidofovir was compounded as a 3% cream in a combinat ion vehicle (Dermovan) for extensive facial involvement, and complete resolution of MCV was seen after 1 month of therapy. In case 3, intrav enous cidofovir therapy was started both for CMV retinitis and in an a ttempt to clear 90% facial MCV involvement; after I month of treatment , all clinical evidence of MCV had resolved. All 3 patients remain cle ar of recurrence. Conclusions: Cidofovir, a nucleotide analog of deoxy cytidine monophosphate, appears to have contributed to clearing of adv anced MCV lesions in these 3 patients, thus providing suggestive evide nce of clinical activity against MCV. Controlled trials of cidofovir t herapy for MCV in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus a re warranted.