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Mono
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Common Questions
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1. How serious is a case of infectious mononucleosis?
2. Is mononucleosis really a “kissing disease”?
3. Does the Epstein-Barr virus cause chronic fatigue syndrome?
4. Can I get infectious mononucleosis more than once?
5. Can EBV cause other serious illnesses?
1. How serious is a case of infectious mononucleosis?
The symptoms of the disease usually resolve without treatment in one to four months. Sometimes, your spleen or liver may enlarge, and you may have to limit your activity until these organs return to normal size. Heart problems or involvement of the central nervous system occur only rarely. Infectious mononucleosis may cause severe liver failure in males with a special XLP gene. In this rare case, mononucleosis can be fatal.
2. Is mononucleosis really a “kissing disease”?
The spread of EBV requires intimate contact with the saliva (found in the mouth) of an infected person. Kissing does not have to occur for infection to arise, however. Saliva on water bottles, toothbrushes, drinking glasses, etc. or hands also can transmit the virus. Transmission of this virus through the air or blood does not normally occur. The incubation period, or the time from infection to appearance of symptoms, ranges from 4 to 6 weeks.
People who have infectious mononucleosis may be able to spread the infection to others for a period of weeks. Many healthy people can carry and spread the virus intermittently for life, and testing them for the virus is not practical. For this reason, it is almost impossible to prevent spreading the virus.
3. Does the Epstein-Barr virus cause chronic fatigue syndrome?
There is no laboratory evidence indicating that EBV infection causes chronic fatigue syndrome. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.
4. Can I get infectious mononucleosis more than once?
Although the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis usually go away in 1 or 2 months, EBV remains inactive in a few cells in the body for the rest of the person's life. Periodically, the virus can reactivate, and it is commonly found in the saliva of infected persons. This reactivation usually occurs without symptoms of illness.
5. Can EBV cause other serious illnesses?
EBV has been linked to certain cancers, such as Burkitt’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and AIDS-related lymphoma, and continues to be studied for possible linkages to other cancers. The incidence of these diseases is rare, and cases of Burkitt’s lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma occur predominantly outside of the United States.
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This article was last reviewed on
December 2, 2005.
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