DENVER -- A nurse at CSU's health clinic said students mentioned they contracted mouth herpes after visiting local hookah bars, the student newspaper reported Monday.

The newspaper did not report how many students contracted the disease, which causes cold sores.

Hookah bars are popular among college students. A hookah is a kind of water pipe where users share a hose and inhale smoke.

The Rocky Mountain Collegian reported both Fort Collins hookah bars said their businesses never heard of any problems with the disease. They said their standards for cleaning hookahs are adequate to prevent the spread of herpes.

Health department officials do not inspect hookah bars, and legal standards for hookah sanitation are nonexistent.

Aria Khosravi, co-owner of Narghile Nights, said although he has heard of herpes incidents at other establishments, none have come from his.

"That is the last thing we would want to happen," Khosravi told the Collegian. "We don't want to mess around. We clean out all the hoses every night … and we also vacuum them through."