Molluscum contagiosum is caused by which type of virus?

• A. DNA poxvirus
• B. RNA calicivirus
• C. DNA herpesvirus
• D. RNA picornavirus

Answer: (A)

Molluscum contagiosum is caused by a poxvirus, specifically a large enveloped double-stranded DNA virus. Poxviruses are unique because they replicate in the cytoplasm rather than in the host cell nucleus, which is a hallmark of this viral family. The Molluscipoxvirus genome is DNA, placing it in the DNA virus category, and its family is Poxviridae. This distinguishes it from RNA viruses like caliciviruses and picornaviruses, which carry RNA genomes, and from herpesviruses, which are also DNA viruses but replicate in the nucleus and belong to a different family. The clinical lesions—pearly, flesh-colored papules with a central dimple—reflect the infection pattern, but the key identifier is the DNA poxvirus classification.