INTRODUCTION: Anogenital
warts (AGWs) are one of the leading
sexually transmitted infections in the world. This condition poses a number of challenges to dermatologists, including the reluctance of patients to consult a physician and the high likelihood of relapse. Individuals with AGWs suffer a substantial psychological morbidity. Intralesional
immunotherapy with the
measles,
mumps, and
rubella (
MMR) vaccine has been reported to be an effective treatment for
warts. However, literature on the efficacy of intralesional
immunotherapy with the
MMR vaccine for the treatment of anogenital
warts is sparse. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the efficacy of the
MMR vaccine for the treatment of anogenital
warts at an outpatient dermatology department in Government Medical College Haldwani in India. METHODS: This was a hospital-based, longitudinal study the included 35 patients. In patients with
genital warts, 0.5mL of the
MMR vaccine after reconstitution with distilled water was injected intradermally into their single largest
wart.
Injections were given every three weeks until a maximum of three
injections was achieved. Pre- and posttreatment photographs were assessed to compare the degree of reduction in the size and number of
warts. The therapeutic response was evaluated as follows: No response (<50% reduction in the number of
warts), Relative response (50%-99% reduction), complete response (100% reduction). RESULTS: On average, a 42.4-percent response was observed in the first three weeks after administering the
MMR vaccine, which increased to 75.8 percent after the second
vaccine at six weeks and nearly 98 percent after the last
vaccine at nine weeks. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that intralesional
immunotherapy with the
MMR vaccine can serve as a safe and effective
therapy for the treatment of AGWs.