Outbreak of tinea gladiatorum in wrestlers in Tehran (Iran)

Abstract

Background:In recent years, skin diseases in wrestling have finally received the attention they deserve. Outbreaks of tinea corporis are often associated with sports involving extensive bodily contact; such sports include wrestling. Tinea corporis gladiatorum is primarily caused by Trichophyton tonsurans, infecting wrestlers at alarming rates. The management of skin infections in wrestlers and other athletes in sports involving skin-to-skin contact entails numerous challenges, from making an accurate diagnosis to determining eligibility for playing the sports. To control outbreaks, we conducted an epidemiologic investigation. The purpose of this article is to determine the prevalence of tinea corporis gladiatorum in wrestlers in Tehran, Iran.Materials and Methods:A study of dermatophytosis was carried out during the period of March 2004 to December 2005 on 612 mycological proven cases of dermatophytosis found in male wrestlers in Tehran. Mycological examination consisted of culturing of pathologic material followed by direct microscopic observation. Diagnosis was based on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the colonies.Results:T. tonsurans was the predominant dermatophyte, accounting for >90% of all tinea corporis gladiatorum isolates during the 2 year analysis. Tinea corporis gladiatorum was found to be more frequent in individuals between the ages of 10 and 20 years of age (72.7%). Wrestlers with tinea corporis gladiatorum were predominantly from wrestling clubs in southern and southeastern Tehran. Transmission of tinea corporis is primarily through skin-to-skin contact.Conclusion:Rapid identification and treatment of tinea corporis gladiatorum is required to minimize the disruption of team practices and competitions. Infection with dermatophytes can disqualify a wrestler from competing in matches, and thus, vigilant surveillance and rapid initiation of treatment is important to prevent the suspension of team practices and competitions.

Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Competitive Sports, 2005–2010

“…Of these, 19 were solitary reports of an outbreak in a single sport [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] ; 3 (including 2 from Juntendo University 24,25 ) addressed a tinea epidemic due to Tricophyton tonsurans among combat-sport (mainly judo, although one also included wrestlers 26 ) competitors in Japan [24][25][26] ; 1 reported on a single measles virus outbreak involving competitors in 2 sports;hairsp 27 ; and 1 discussed the importance of sentinel surveillance sites in high school athletic departments to monitor outbreaks of CA-MRSA across a variety of sports. 28 When we excluded this latter study from analysis (because its main focus was not a specific outbreak) and counted the 3 articles on the tinea outbreak among combatsport competitors in Japan as a single outbreak, a total of 21 outbreaks or clusters were reported in the time period.…”

Prevalence of Fungal Skin Infections in Iranian Wrestlers

“…In the present study, trichophyton tonsurans was the second most common fungus that was isolated from wrestlers. Although a previous study in Iran had shown low prevalence of trichophyton tonsurans in Iranian wrestlers [20] . As trichophyton tonsurans is an anthropophilic dermatophyte [34] , higher prevalence of trichophyton tonsurans in the wrestlers in our study like many other previous studies may be explained by evidence of asymptomatic fungal infection in other wrestlers [13, 31] and contamination of wrestling mats or other wrestling equipment.…”

Evaluation of the association of superficial dermatophytosis and athletic activities with special reference to its prevention and control

“…22 The causative agent is always T. tonsurans. During the 1998-1999, Kohl et al found that 84% of wrestling teams had at least one case of tinea corporis gladiatorum in the United States.…”

“…41 Swimmers, runners, soccer, water polo, and basketball players experience tinea pedis in epidemic proportions. 2,14,16,22 The current worldwide spread of this disease, through international sports competitions, sustains a need for worldwide prevention measures that should be based upon an exact knowledge, most of all distinguishing it from the usual forms of tinea corporis. We isolated onychomycosis in nine athletes (1.5%).…”