What is infectious mononucleosis (mono)?

单声道或传染性单核细胞增多症是指通常由此引起的一组症状Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)。It typically occurs in teenagers, but you can get it at any age. The virus is spread through saliva, which is why some people refer to it as “the kissing disease.”

Many people develop EBV infections as children after age 1. In very young children, symptoms are usually nonexistent or so mild that they aren’t recognized as mono.

Once you have an EBV infection, you aren’t likely to get another one. Any child who gets EBV will probably be immune to mono for the rest of their life.

However, plenty of children in the United States and other developed countries don’t get these infections in their early years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , mono发生当一个adole 25%的时间scent or young adult is infected with EBV. For this reason, mono affects mainly high school and college students.

有单声道的人经常有很高的fever,swollen lymph glandsin the neck and armpits, and a咽喉痛。Most cases of mono are mild and resolve easily with minimal treatment. The infection is typically not serious and usually goes away on its own in 1 to 2 months.

其他症状可能包括：

Occasionally, your spleen or liver may also swell, but mononucleosis is rarely ever fatal.

单声道很难区分其他常见病毒，如flu。如果你的症状不提高1或2星期后s of home treatment such as resting, getting enough fluids, and eating healthy foods, see your doctor.

The incubation period of the virus is the time between when you contract the infection and when you start to have symptoms. It lasts for 4 to 6 weeks. The signs and symptoms of mono typically last for 1 to 2 months.

The incubation period may be shorter in young children.

Some symptoms, like sore throat and fever, typically lessen after 1 or 2 weeks. Other symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, and an enlarged spleen may last a few weeks longer.

Mononucleosis is usually caused by EBV. The virus is spread through direct contact with saliva from the mouth of an infected person or other bodily fluids, such as blood. It’s also spread through sexual contact and organ transplantation.

You can be exposed to the virus by a cough or sneeze, by kissing, or by sharing food or drinks with someone who has mono. It usually takes 4 to 8 weeks for symptoms to develop after you’re infected.

In adolescents and adults, the infection sometimes doesn’t causenoticeable symptoms。在儿童中，病毒通常不会导致任何症状，感染往往无法识别。

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)

TheEpstein-Barr virus (EBV)is a member of the herpes virus family. According to the CDC ，它是一种感染世界各地人类的最常见的病毒之一。

After you become infected with EBV, it remains inactive in your body for the rest of your life. In rare cases it can reactivate, but there usually won’t be any symptoms.

除了与Mono的联系之外，专家们还在癌症和自身免疫性疾病等eBV和病症之间展望可能的联系。了解有关EBV如何诊断出来的更多信息Epstein-Barr病毒测试。

Mono is contagious, although experts aren’t really sure how long this period lasts.

因为EBV棚在你的喉咙里，你可以感染与你的唾液接触的人，例如通过亲吻它们或分享餐具。由于孵化期长，您甚至可能甚至不知道你有单声道。

Mono can continue to be contagious for 3 months or more after you experience the symptoms. Find out more abouthow long mono is contagious。

以下团体获得单声道的风险更高：

任何经常与大量人员密切接触的人都会增加单声道的风险。这就是为什么高中和大学生经常被感染。

Because other, more serious viruses such ashepatitis Acan cause symptoms similar to mono, your doctor will work to rule out these possibilities.

初步考试

Once you visit your doctor, they’ll normally ask how long you’ve had symptoms. If you’re between ages of 15 and 25, your doctor might also ask if you’ve been in contact with any individuals who have mono.

年龄是诊断单声道以及最常见的症状的主要因素之一：发烧，喉咙痛和肿胀的腺体。

您的医生将携带温度并检查颈部，腋窝和腹股沟的腺体。他们也可能检查胃的左上部分，以确定你的脾脏是否被扩大。

Complete blood count

有时你的医生会要求一个complete blood count。This blood test will help determine how severe your illness is by looking at your levels of various blood cells. For example, a high lymphocyte count often indicates an infection.

白细胞计数

A mono infection typically causes your body to produce more white blood cells as it tries to defend itself. Ahigh white blood cell count无法使用EBV确认感染，但结果表明它是一种强有力的可能性。

Monospot测试

Lab tests are the second part of a doctor’s diagnosis. One of the most reliable ways to diagnose mononucleosis is themonospot test(or heterophile test). This blood test looks for antibodies —these are proteins your immune system produces in response to harmful elements.

However, it doesn’t look for EBV antibodies. Instead, the monospot test determines your levels of another group of antibodies your body is likely to produce when you’re infected with EBV. These are called heterophile antibodies.

The results of this test are the most consistent when it’s done between 2 and 4 weeks after symptoms of mono appear. At this point, you would have sufficient amounts of heterophile antibodies to trigger a reliable positive response.

这个测试并不总是准确的,但它很容易do, and results are usually available within an hour or less.

EBV antibody test

If your monospot test comes back negative, your doctor might order anEBV antibody test。This blood test looks for EBV-specific antibodies. This test can detect mono as early as the first week you have symptoms, but it takes longer to get the results.

There’s no specific treatment for infectious mononucleosis. However, your doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid medication to reduce throat and tonsil swelling. The symptoms usually resolve on their own in 1 to 2 months.

如果您的症状变得更糟，或者如果您有激烈，请联系您的医生abdominal pain。学习更多关于treating mono.

Treatment at home is aimed at easing your symptoms. This includes usingover-the-counter (OTC)药物减少发烧和技术，以平静喉咙痛，如gargling salt water。

可能缓解症状的其他家庭疗程包括：

  • getting a lot of rest
  • staying hydrated, ideally by drinking water
  • eating warmchicken soup
  • 通过食用抗炎和富含抗氧化剂的食物来提高免疫系统，例如叶绿蔬菜，苹果，糙米和三文鱼
  • 使用OTC疼痛药物如乙酰氨基酚（Tylenol）

永远不要给孩子或青少年给阿司匹林，因为它可能会导致Reye’s syndrome, a rare disorder that can cause brain and liver damage. Find out more abouthome remedies for mono。

Mono is typically not serious. In some cases, people who have mono get secondary infections such as咽喉炎,sinus infections, or扁桃体炎。在极少数情况下，有些人可能会发展以下并发症：

Enlarged spleen

You should wait at least 1 month before doing any vigorous activities, lifting heavy objects, or playing contact sports to avoid rupturing your spleen, which may beswollen从感染。

Talk to your doctor about when you can return to your normal activities.

A ruptured spleen in people who have mono is rare, but it is a life-threatening emergency. Call your doctor immediately if you have mono and experience a sharp, sudden pain in the upper left part of your abdomen.

Inflammation of the liver

肝炎（肝脏炎症）或jaundice（皮肤和眼睛的泛黄）可能偶尔会发生在有单声道的人身上。

Rare complications

According to the Mayo Clinic, mono can also cause some of these extremely rare complications:

  • 贫血, which is a decrease in your red blood cell count
  • thrombocytopenia, which is a decrease in platelets, the part of your blood that begins the clotting process
  • 心脏炎症
  • complications that involve the nervous system, such as脑膜炎orGuillain-Barrésyndrome
  • swollen tonsils that can obstruct breathing

单声道症状如疲劳，发烧和喉咙痛通常持续几周。在极少数情况下，症状可以爆发月甚至几年。

EBV通常是导致单声道感染的原因，在您的余生中仍然存在于您的身体中。它通常处于休眠状态，但病毒可以重新激活。

Mono主要影响着人们的青少年和20多岁。

It occurs less commonly in adultsover the age of 30。Older adults with mono will usually have a fever but may not have other symptoms such as a sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, or an enlarged spleen.

通过分享食用用具或饮用眼镜，或靠近咳嗽或打喷嚏的受感染者，儿童可以感染单声道。

因为孩子们可能只有轻微的症状，如喉咙痛，但是单声道感染可能未被诊断出来。

Children who are diagnosed with mono can usually continue to attend school or day care. They may need to avoid some physical activities while they recover. Children with mono should wash their hands frequently, especially after sneezing or coughing. Learn more about the儿童单声道症状。

Most people are infected with EBV early in life. As with older children, toddlers can become infected with mono by sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses. They can also become infected by putting toys in their mouths that have been in the mouths of other children with mono.

Toddlers with mono rarely have any symptoms. If they do have a fever and sore throat, it may be mistaken for a cold or the flu.

If your doctor suspects your toddler has mono, they will probably recommend that you make sure your child gets rest and plenty of fluids.

Mono is usually caused by EBV, which remains dormant in your body after you recover.

EBV是可能的，但不寻常的是重新激活，并为单声道返回几年或几年后的症状。得到更好的理解单音复发的风险。

Most people have mono only once. In rare cases,the symptoms can recurdue to a reactivation of EBV.

If mono returns, the virus is in your saliva, but you probably won’t have any symptoms unless you have a weakened immune system.

In rare instances, mono can lead to what’s called chronic active EBV (CAEBV) disease 。这是一种严重的条件，其中单声道症状持续超过6个月。

If you are experiencing the symptoms of mono and have had it before, see your doctor.

Mono is almost impossible to prevent. This is because healthy people who have been infected with EBV in the past can carry and spread the infection periodically for the rest of their lives.

Almost all adultshave been infected with EBV and have built up antibodies to fight the infection. People normally get mono only once in their lives.

Mono的症状很少超过4个月。大多数人在2到4周内恢复单声道。

EBV establishes a lifelong, inactive infection in your body’s immune system cells. In some very rare cases, people who carry the virus develop eitherBurkitt’s lymphomaor nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which are both rare cancers.

EBV appears to play a role in the development of these cancers. However, EBV is probably not the only cause.