Wrestling Camp

The wrestling camp at Carson Newman College was attended by 200 high school and college wrestlers from Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina. A few weeks later high school coaches began sending wresters to the school nurse or local physician for treatment of very painful vesicles and lesions on their head, neck, extremities, trunk and conjunctiva.

When word of the outbreak reached Carson Newman a questionnaire was sent to each wrestler in the camp. 75wrestlers met the case definition of the presence of cutaneous vesicles. Several reported development ofvesicles during the camp session or within one week after leaving camp

Those who reported wrestling with participants with a rash were more likely to have the infection. Thirty-eight wrestlers reported a past history of oral cold sores. The attack rate was 20% for wrestlers who reported a past history of oral cold sores and 40% for wrestlers without a history of oral cold sores.

1. What diseases do you suspect?

2. How was this disease transmitted?

3. How is this disease treated?

4. Provide a possible explanation of the lower attack rate in wrestlers with a history of oral cold sores.

5. How can such outbreaks be prevented?