Issue date: 2/27/07 Section: Sports

Junior wrestler Greg Perz goofly wears his eargaurd while talking to fellow wrestler freshman Kile O'Toole during practice Monday afternoon in Lantz arena. (John Bailey / The Daily Eastern News)

Athletes have to watch out for spraining an ankle or breaking a bone during matches during a season.

While watching out for these injuries though, they also have to watch even their own skin to protect from diseases.

"The big two going around now are a herpes virus, there are a couple of variations of that right now, and another big one is staph," said Aaron Haselhorst, an Eastern athletic training graduate assistant. "They had an outbreak of staph at a Minnesota high school wrestling team and had to shut down."

Haselhorst works with the wrestling and tennis team for injuries and treatment.

Head Athletic Trainer Mark Bonnstetter said it is not unusual for athletes, wrestlers in particular, to get infections because of their skin contact.

Another sport that has experienced an increase in bacterial infection this year is football, Bonnstetter said. He added that it is not as prevalent as it is in wrestling.

"Bacteria are becoming a little bit more common," Bonnstetter said. "It's not just an Eastern problem; it's a football problem in general. The bacteria are becoming a bit more resistant to antibiotics so doctors are having to figure out new ways to treat this."

Herpes gladiatorum, which generally occurs on the face, starts as a cluster of honey colored bumps on a red base, according to Rob Lawton in his article "Skin Disease in Wrestling" published March 6, 1999 on Intermat, a wrestling Web site. While it can be confused for impetigo or folliculitis, this disease can come with a fever and symptoms of an illness. This can occur within a week of exposure.

This disease can never fully be removed, as it stays in the nerves. If it comes back, it normally returns to the same place as before.

To treat this, athletes take antibiotics to crust the lesions.

To be allowed to compete, under NCAA guidelines, the athlete has to be free of the fever, developed no blisters within three days of the clearance, all lesions must be crusted over, and must be on medicine for at least five days before the meet.

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