molluscum contagiosum

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molluscum contagiosum (mol-usk-ŭm kon-ta-joh-sŭm) n. a common disease of the skin, mainly affecting children. Characterized by papules less than 5 mm in diameter, each with a central depression, the disease is caused by a poxvirus and is spread by direct contact. Untreated, the papules disappear in 6–9 months.

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