# Skin Virus



## Tyler1 (Dec 2, 2007)

Hi everybody, my first post.

I have a question, I've been involved with wrestling all my life, just lately the virus _H. gladiatorum_ started being more common in the sport.  It's broke out on one of the wrestlers on the team who has it, I noticed it today, it appears on most wrestlers face due to the tie up.

I haven't been in the wrestling room working with the kids because of this.  I can't seem to get a good answer on the net about the long term effect, or treatment of the virus.
Is my concern about contracting the virus justified?
I bet it's becoming more common in other grapple sports.


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## cohenp (Dec 2, 2007)

Skin diseases are always something to be careful of in wrestling. A big part of preventing skin diseases is properly cleaning your mats, and showering as soon as possible after practice. If you haven't had a breakout after a week or two I wouldn't be super concerned. If you are really concerned go see a doctor.


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## Tyler1 (Dec 3, 2007)

cohenp said:


> Skin diseases are always something to be careful of in wrestling. A big part of preventing skin diseases is properly cleaning your mats, and showering as soon as possible after practice. If you haven't had a breakout after a week or two I wouldn't be super concerned. If you are really concerned go see a doctor.


 
After talking with a few other coaches, i'm going to stay out for a while.  I think our wrestling program is in for a big surprise again this year, it got shut down for 8 days last year due to the virus, if I read it correctly it doesen't spread from the mat, but person contact. What concerns me is how fast it spreads once it gets into a practice room, and its in our wrestling room, 100% positive.  I have to put my love for the sport aside for a few months and see how it pans out in the program this year, I don't  want to risk getting it.  I hope it is nothing big, the sport doesn't need this kind of publicity.


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## tellner (Dec 3, 2007)

MRSA is MMA's answer to the Delayed Death Touch


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## Tyler1 (Dec 3, 2007)

tellner said:


> MRSA is MMA's answer to the Delayed Death Touch


Yep, mrsa looks bad, I searched mrsa mma, found a good pic. of it on a guy's elbow.


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## rutherford (Dec 31, 2007)

Shuddered when I saw this thread, since I just got over the Chicken Pox. (I'm 30.)

I also had a staph infection in my heel once pretty bad.  Definitely something to watch out for, and get treated immediately.

Bacteria, Virus, Fungus, you can get it all from people, and not just on the mats.  It's always a good idea to be aware, be clean, but don't let fear ruin your fun.


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Dec 31, 2007)

Here you go
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_herpesgl_sma.htm

Common sense is if you see a guy with a weird skin rash don't touch him and don't let him touch you.  As one of my Doctor friends said to me "We all have Herpes in some form"


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## shesulsa (Dec 31, 2007)

Gone are the days when you can just ignore something until it heals and save money by treating it yourself.  Any rash at all nowadays should be looked at by a medical professional as soon as you notice it.  Monitor your skin constantly - check it out daily.


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## Aaron Fields (Jan 1, 2008)

Those have never been the days with regards to grappling.  Several of my coaches started in the 40's and they had the same creepy crawlies back then too.  I have been on a mat for nearly 20 of my 36 years, skin stuff has alwasy been a concern.  MRSA isn't new, it is just getting press.

Clean yourself, clean your gear, clean your mats, and if something comes up see a doctor and stay off the mat.

Aaron Fields
Seattle Jujutsu Club, Hatake Dojo
Sea-Town Sombo
www.seattle-jujutsu.org


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## Dave Leverich (Jan 1, 2008)

Hm, I know Staphaseptic kills MRSA/Staph but no idea if it even touches the H. Gladiatorum.

My regiment is, train, go home, put workout clothes into the wash while I go take a hot shower and use anti-bacterial soap. Out of the shower I put staphaseptic on anyplace that's stinging (cuts, scrapes, even pimples heh it seems to kill those that the rashguards seem to cause).

Clean the mats constantly yeah. But it sounds like HG is skin to skin, so bathe right after practice.


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## kaizasosei (Jan 2, 2008)

it would be good to monitor to a certain degree the surrounding people.  if someone is seen to be unaware of spreading the virus or irresponsible, they can be directly advised by a well meaning authority as to how to treat and contain.
  if there is any chance of the virus being on hands or fingers, it is important not to spread it to more sensitive areas like eyes or mucus, or other people.  for example to pick ones nose could spread the virus to other areas like nerves of head and worst case even brain.
  i have noticed with lesser strains of the virus, that it is more likely to break out when body is weak and if one has eaten anything not fresh or meat in general.  especially things like raw fish or meat/ also ascorbic acid /nonnatural vitaminc and vitamin e.  /it seems to me that when the stomach and the digestive system are stressed that the skin is more likely to have problems.  
also, it is wiser to not be too clean and scrubed in potentially infected areas. so bathe or shower after....
 very dangerous can be public keyboards.  if someone infected uses a keyboard carelessly, there is a high risk of passing on a virus.



j


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## shesulsa (Jan 2, 2008)

Found this in regards to prevention and abatement.


> Once someone contracts mat herpes in a gym or a dojo, all efforts must be made to clean the mat itself too. This has to be done by scrubbing the mat with some serious chemicals, not once but several times. But the best method is doing the same kind of scrubbing in advance, as a prevention.


Now I'm hopping, skipping and jumping to find the recommended disinfection procedure. Even on my DSL it's taking a long time to download.


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## kaizasosei (Jan 2, 2008)

i think chemicals can also aggrivate the skin and cause hypersensitivity so better to use something more natural for cleaning...i dunno, alchohol, vinigar? diluted disinfecting liquid. i'm sure there are even better


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## shesulsa (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm not having any luck downloading the rulebook I found. It's in .pdf format but it's either too large or something's wrong with it - won't download onto my system.

But all indicators I've found on the web point to this as being the go-to book for instructions on disinfection for prevention and abatement.


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## Bodhisattva (Jan 2, 2008)

cohenp said:


> Skin diseases are always something to be careful of in wrestling. A big part of preventing skin diseases is properly cleaning your mats, and showering as soon as possible after practice. If you haven't had a breakout after a week or two I wouldn't be super concerned. If you are really concerned go see a doctor.


 
I agree.  Showering right after class (there are no showers where we train, so I wash my face and hands after practice - shower when I get home) is likely to prevent most of your issues.

My brother got me a little freaked out about MRSA.. But I try not to think about it.


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## Aaron Fields (Jan 2, 2008)

I work as a firefighter in a major metro and come into contact with all kinds of things.  

I use the same 10% bleach solution to clean nasty equipment as I do on the mats in the club.

9-10% is the suggest mixture of bleach to water.  If it makes you feel more comfortable to buy some "hot-shot" goo to clean things, then by all means do it.  But, what you are likley getting is, well just peace of mind.  


Aaron Fields


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## Dave Leverich (Jan 2, 2008)

Heh, Aaron, It's to make sure I don't get any nasties. 
I've seen guys with MRSA, and it's nothing I want any part of.

And...
I'm not putting bleach on my own scrapes. We use it on the mats sure, lysol on my gloves and such, but for cuts and scrapes... I'll stick with the 'hot shot goo' thanks.


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## Aaron Fields (Jan 3, 2008)

Dave,

You mistook my post, if you re-read it, I was only talking about using bleach on equipment.

As to for the skin itself, I use a good soap and hot water, in addition to a sanitizer, (which I can't recall the name of currently, but is the same stuff we use in the Fire Department.)

There is no question that MRSA is bad stuff, but it is the media rage currently.  In fact 10-15 years back folks were getting it from the hopsitals on a frequent basis.  Things have actually cleaned up.

Aaron Fields


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## Dave Leverich (Jan 3, 2008)

Right on Aaron, my mistake and apology.

I hear you on MRSA, I think the scare issue is the MRSA C (Communal/community?). But yeah, imagine going to the hospital for a cut, and getting it, ouch!

I think people are becoming much more aware, realizing that they need to watch scratches cuts etc, and get them taken care of if they turn weird.


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