An Outbreak of Herpes Gladiatorum at a High-School Wrestling Camp

Abstract

Herpes gladiatorum may cause substantial morbidity among wrestlers, and it is primarily transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact. Prompt identification and exclusion of wrestlers with skin lesions may reduce transmission.

Analysis of herpes simplex virus type 1 restriction fragment length polymorphism variants associated with herpes gladiatorum and Kaposi's varicelliform eruption in sumo wrestlers

“…Concurrent infections of different HSV-1 strains in HG cases has been suggested previously (Belongia et al, 1991;Dworkin et al, 1999) but the RFLP data were ambiguous. The present study is, to our knowledge, the first to report precise RFLP analyses, with many restriction endonucleases, of HSV-1 isolates from HG cases.…”

“…Central nervous system (CNS) destruction is a major consequence of experimental murine disease induced by HSV-1 (Dix et al, 1983b; Goel et al, 2002;Mao & Rosenthal, 2003;Richards et al, 1981;Roizman & Knipe, 2001). HG has been documented among wrestlers and rugby players (Anderson, 2003;Becker, 1992;Belongia et al, 1991;De Bernardo, 1992;Turbeville et al, 2006;White & Grant-Kels, 1984 et al, 1990;Dix et al, 1983aDix et al, , 1983bMao & Rosenthal, 2003;Richards et al, 1981) and mutants (Roizman & Knipe, 2001).Clinical specimens and HSV-1 isolates from sumo wrestlers, described previously by Asano et al (1994) et al, 1994) and HSV-2 was isolated from another wrestler (data not shown). Virus isolates were propagated on Vero cell (Yasumura & Kawakita, 1988) monolayers and their HSV type was identified using HSV type-specific monoclonal antibodies, with plaque titration performed as previously described (Yanagi, 1981).…”

“…Central nervous system (CNS) destruction is a major consequence of experimental murine disease induced by HSV-1 (Dix et al, 1983b;Goel et al, 2002;Mao & Rosenthal, 2003;Richards et al, 1981;Roizman & Knipe, 2001). HG has been documented among wrestlers and rugby players (Anderson, 2003;Becker, 1992;Belongia et al, 1991;De Bernardo, 1992;Turbeville et al, 2006;White & Grant-Kels, 1984). HSV-1 isolates from HG cases in professional sumo wrestlers that were previously described by Asano et al (1994) were analysed further because the high HG frequency in these wrestlers and their traditional lifestyle, in which they live together in communal and isolated sumo stables, facilitated studies of HSV-1 epidemiology.…”

Microbes without borders: infectious disease, public health, and the journal

“…[2][3][4] Furthermore, these harmful effects fell disproportionately on poor African Americans who were most likely to be living in the housing slated for renewal. 5,6 That the most vulnerable members of the population were made weaker and more vulnerable is a sure sign of bad policy.…”

“…1,2 • Physical exercise led to leptospirosis and herpes. 3,4 • Certain cancers are caused by viruses 5 and bacteria 6 ; infectious agents may also have etiologic roles in atherosclerosis, 7 Alzheimer disease, 8 and even neuropsychiatric disorders. 9,10 • Although violence has rarely involved biologic weaponry, 11 as we learn in this month's issue, infectious diseases may have unanticipated violent consequences.…”