A 64-Year-Old Woman With Molluscum Contagiosum Arising in a Melanocytic Nevus: A Case Report of an Unusual Coexistence

Molluscum contagiosum (MC) virus is a poxvirus that infects epidermal keratinocytes producing cutaneous nodules with characteristic intracytoplasmic inclusions. Intradermal nevus is a benign lesion that typically presents as clusters of melanocytes within the dermal layer of skin. Although both MC and melanocytic nevus are common lesions, MC arising within a melanocytic nevus is a rare event with only a few cases published in the literature. Herein, we report the case of a 64-year-old immunocompetent woman with an MC emerging within an intradermal nevus of the left nasolabial fold. In addition, the disappearance of most dermal melanocytes adjacent to the site of the MC infection was noted. This is a rarely reported event, and it has been suggested that it involves a mechanism of viral oncolysis among others, with potential implications for treatment and a need for further investigation.