Sentence:  Science has tried and failed to come to a consensus about the hygienic superiority of one product over the other. Even so, the paper towel industry has funded or promoted a <WSD>rash</WSD> of studies claiming that hand dryers turn bathrooms into mosh pits of pathogens. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A surge in problems; a spate, string or trend.