One-year experience with candida antigen immunotherapy for warts and molluscum

Molluscum contagiosum and warts are two very common viral-induced diseases of childhood. We report our 1-year experience with intralesional candida antigen therapy for both warts and molluscum contagiosum. A retrospective chart review was performed and a total of 217 patients were identified. Follow-up was obtained either through clinic visits or telephone interviews for 25/47 molluscum patients and 55/170 wart patients. Of the molluscum patients with follow-up, 14/25 (56%) had complete resolution, 7/25 (28%) had partial clearing, and 4/25 (16%) had no improvement. For the wart patients with follow-up, 48/55 (87%) had complete resolution, 3/55 (6%) had partial clearing, and 4/55 (7%) had no improvement. It is important to note that our clearance rate may be overestimated, as many patients were also treated concurrently with liquid nitrogen or other therapies. All wart and molluscum patients experienced some discomfort at the time of injection, but no serious side effects were reported. Our experience suggests intralesional candida antigen may represent a treatment option for warts and molluscum contagiosum that is safe and effective.