Herpes gladiatorum

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Herpes gladiatorum is one of the most infectious of herpes-caused diseases, and is transmissible by skin-to-skin contact. The disease was first described in the 1960s in the New England Journal of Medicine. It is caused by contagious infection with human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which more commonly causes oral herpes (cold sores). Another strain, HSV-2 usually causes genital herpes, although the strains are very similar and either can cause herpes in any location. While the disease is commonly passed through normal human contact, it is strongly associated with contact sports—outbreaks in sporting clubs being relatively common. Other names for the disease are herpes rugbiorum or "scrumpox" (after rugby football), "wrestler's herpes" or "mat pox" (after wrestling, gymnastics, and cheerleading). In one of the largest outbreaks ever among high-school wrestlers at a four-week intensive training camp, HSV was identified in 60 of 175 wrestlers. Lesions were on the head in 73 percent of the wrestlers, the extremities in 42 percent, and the trunk in 28 percent. Physical symptoms sometimes recur in the skin. Previous adolescent HSV-1 seroconversion would preclude most herpes gladiatorum, but since stress and trauma are recognized triggers, such a person would be likely to infect others.