Herpes gladiatorum is a skin infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, common among wrestlers and rugby players. Symptoms include painful blisters on the face, neck, and arms. Antiviral drugs can treat the condition, and prevention measures include good hygiene and exclusion from contact sports during outbreaks.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) sometimes produces a skin infection called herpes gladiatorum. The condition is also known by the names matpox, herpes rugbiorum, scrumpox, and wrestler’s herpes. Transmission occurs through the skin and can affect wrestlers or wrinkle players due to the large amount of skin contact between participants in these sports. Symptoms include painful blisters that can appear on the face, neck and arms. The condition can be treated with antiviral medications.
Typically, HSV is transmitted by contact between two mucous membranes. Sexual transmission causes recurring painful genital blisters, and transmission through saliva can result in blisters in the mouth region. This virus, however, can also be transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact, and this is how individuals also become infected. As mentioned above, outbreaks of this condition have been noted among wrestlers and rugby players.
Symptoms of herpes gladiatorum typically involve the development of painful sores or ulcers on the skin. Most commonly, the lesions are found on the face, arms, and neck, and the blisters tend to appear in clusters. Occasionally some affected patients may have other symptoms including fever, sore throat and swollen glands before the blisters appear due to their HSV infection. The blisters eventually rupture, leaving the underlying skin exposed, which could lead to a secondary bacterial infection if these wounds are not kept clean.
Diagnosing herpes gladiatorum can be done in several ways. Many times the disease appears as an epidemic, affecting multiple teammates or past opponents at the same time. Blisters typically don’t develop until about a week after initial exposure, so it can be helpful to understand the course of time the lesions have developed. To be absolutely sure that the symptoms are due to HSV infection, a series of confirmatory laboratory tests can be done on the patient’s blood or on a sample taken from an active blister.
Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir can be used to treat herpes gladiatorum. It is important to start treatment with these drugs as soon as you notice the first symptoms to get the most benefit. Some patients may experience a recurrence of the skin lesions, as the herpes simplex virus tends to lie dormant in certain parts of the human body, waiting to strike again at a later time. Recurrences can be treated with a short course of antiviral drugs. If patients have multiple relapses, they may take antiviral medications every day, even asymptomatic, in an attempt to stop the episodes from occurring.
Prevention is an important aspect of controlling the development and spread of herpes gladiatorum. Athletes who participate in contact sports must ensure that they maintain good hygiene, wash their uniforms regularly and disinfect all surfaces exposed to the skin. People who have an outbreak of this condition should be excluded from contact sports to prevent them from passing the disease on to other athletes.
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