Wrestlers slammed by stronger skin infection: study

Rugby players and wrestlers may be at risk of contracting a skin disease, say Japanese researchers who discovered a new strain of the virus that could be more deadly.

"Scrumpox," or herpes gladiatorum, is a skin infection caused by a herpes virus that causes cold sores.

Herpes gladiatorum is spread through direct skin-to-skin contact and is common among athletes in close-contact sports such as rugby, wrestling and judo.

The disease is highly infectious, so public health officials advise that players with painful blisters should be taken out of competition and practices to stop it from spreading.

Symptoms may start with a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes, along with fever and headaches. Telltale blisters appear on the face, neck, arms or legs.

In the October issue of the Journal of General Virology, Dr. Kazuo Yanagi from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo and his colleagues studied blood samples from 39 sumo wrestlers who were diagnosed with the infection between 1989 and 1994.

"Two of the wrestlers died as a result of their infections, so cases like this do need to be investigated," Yanagi said in a release.

The researchers suspected that a strain of herpes called BgKL has replaced the BgOL strain, and the newer strain led to more recurrence of infection.

After someone is infected the first time, the virus can also hide in nerve cells for long periods and may reactivate to cause symptoms later.

"Our research showed that the BgKL strain of herpes is reactivated, spreads more efficiently and causes more severe symptoms than BgOL and other strains," Yanagi said. "This is the first study to suggest that the recurrence of herpes gladiatorum symptoms in humans may depend on the strain of virus."

To prevent infection, health officials in the U.S. recommend that wrestlers:

• Shower after practice.
• Use their owntowels andsoap.
• Clean practice and competition gear such as mats daily.
• Clean and disinfect locker rooms and shower areas daily.

Professional sumo wrestlers live and train together, which may make it easier for the herpes virus to be transmitted the first time, the researchers said.