▁gl adi ator um ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁inf ect ious ▁of ▁her pes - ca used ▁dise ases , ▁and ▁is ▁trans miss ible ▁by ▁skin - to - sk in ▁contact . ▁The ▁disease ▁was ▁first ▁described ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁in ▁the ▁New ▁England ▁Journal ▁of ▁Medicine . ▁It ▁is ▁caused ▁by ▁cont ag ious ▁in fection ▁with ▁human ▁her pes ▁simple x ▁virus ▁type ▁ 1 ▁( H SV - 1 ), ▁ ▁which ▁more ▁commonly ▁causes ▁or al ▁her pes ▁( c old ▁s ores ). ▁Another ▁stra in , ▁H SV - 2 ▁usually ▁causes ▁gen ital ▁her pes , ▁although ▁the ▁stra ins ▁are ▁very ▁similar ▁and ▁either ▁can ▁cause ▁her pes ▁in ▁any ▁location . ▁ ▁While ▁the ▁disease ▁is ▁commonly ▁passed ▁through ▁normal ▁human ▁contact , ▁it ▁is ▁strongly ▁associated ▁with ▁contact ▁sports — out break s ▁in ▁sport ing ▁clubs ▁being ▁relatively ▁common . ▁Other ▁names ▁for ▁the ▁disease ▁are ▁her pes ▁rug b ior um ▁or ▁" sc rum po x " ▁( after ▁rugby ▁football ), ▁" w rest ler ' s ▁her pes " ▁or ▁" mat ▁po x " ▁( after ▁wrest ling ). ▁In ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁largest ▁out break s ▁ever ▁among ▁high - school ▁wrest lers ▁at ▁a ▁four - week ▁int ensive ▁training ▁camp , ▁H SV ▁was ▁identified ▁in ▁ 6 0 ▁of ▁ 1 7 5 ▁wrest lers . ▁Les ions ▁were ▁on ▁the ▁head ▁in ▁ 7