title: Cutaneous infections in wrestlers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cutaneous infections are common in wrestlers. Although many are simply a nuisance in the everyday population, they can be problematic to wrestlers because such infections may result in disqualification from practice or competition. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are therefore important.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medline and PubMed databases, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and UpToDate were searched through 2012 with the following keywords in various combinations: skin infections, cutaneous infections, wrestlers, athletes, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, skin and soft tissue infections, tinea corporis, tinea capitis, herpes simplex, varicella zoster, molluscum contagiosum, verruca vulgaris, warts, scabies, and pediculosis. Relevant articles found in the primary search, and selected references from those articles were reviewed for pertinent clinical information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most commonly reported cutaneous infections in wrestlers are herpes simplex virus infections (herpes gladiatorum), bacterial skin and soft tissue infections, and dermatophyte infections (tinea gladiatorum). The clinical appearance of these infections can be different in wrestlers than in the community at large.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For most cutaneous infections, diagnosis and management options in wrestlers are similar to those in the community at large. With atypical presentations, testing methods are recommended to confirm the diagnosis of herpes gladiatorum and tinea gladiatorum. There is evidence to support the use of prophylactic medications to prevent recurrence of herpes simplex virus and reduce the incidence of dermatophyte infections in wrestlers.
authors.affiliation: Naval Branch Health Clinic Mayport, Jacksonville, Florida.
authors.forename: Eugene K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deweber
authors.affiliation: Naval Academy Athletic Association, Annapolis, Maryland.
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wilckens
keywords: cutaneous infections; herpes gladiatorum, tinea gladiatorum; skin and soft tissue infections; wrestlers