Epidemic Cutaneous Herpes Simplex in Wrestlers (Herpes Gladiatorum)

Abstract

Infection of the skin with herpes simplex assumes a variety of forms which are classified as either primary or recurrent.¹Primary infection is the initial infection, whereas recurrent disease represents activation of a herpetic focus which has lain dormant for weeks, months, or sometimes years. Cutaneous involvement in primary herpes simplex may accompany gingivostomatitis, keratoconjunctivitis, vulvovaginitis, balanitis, or urethritis.¹In visceral herpes of the newborn, hepatitis of the malnourished, or herpetic meningoencephalitis, skin lesions are too inconspicuous and occur too infrequently to be of much diagnostic value.^1-4Localized primary infections in which the skin is the portal of entry are probably most common on the hand, especially about the fingers, although they may occur anywhere. The so-called herpetic whitlow is a special hazard for dentists, nurses, and physicians who work about the mouths of persons who harbor the virus.^5,6Primary Kaposi's varicelliform eruption is a generalized