Background: An outbreak of tinea corporis occurred in members of a high school wrestling team during the 1992-1993 season.
Objective: To control the outbreak, we conducted an epidemiologic investigation.
Methods: We examined 28 team members and obtained skin scrapings from 16. To control the outbreak we recommended (1) griseofulvin for 1 month to treat persons with more than two lesions or any facial lesion(s) and topical ketoconazole or econazole for 1 month to treat all others and (2) that wrestlers be excluded from wrestling until 10 days of topical treatment or 15 days of oral treatment had been completed.
Results: Twenty-one wrestlers had lesions consistent with tinea corporis and 10 had Trichophyton tonsurans infection confirmed by culture. A new eruption developed in 12 wrestlers after the recommendations were implemented.
Conclusion: This is the third and largest outbreak of tinea corporis gladiatorum to be described in the United States. Appropriate control measures have not yet been established.