How and when can we get infected?

by time news

I woke up at dawn on Sunday February 27 feeling sick. At 16 years old, I had gone out to a party the night before, but that did not justify me finding myself like this. My neck and throat ached, and I felt like I had a fever.

Esmeralda Santa Cruz Salas

  • PDI Faculty of Nursing. UCLM, University of Castilla-La Mancha

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Worried, I went to the bathroom and oh no! Looking in the mirror, my face was full of pimples that weren’t there yesterday. And they were not only on the face: they were also beginning to appear on the legs, belly and arms.

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My parents took me to the emergency department. Hearing my symptoms, the doctor who received us laughed. Looking at my father, he said: “He has the kissing disease.” Turning to me, he asked, “Who did you make out with last night?” “I didn’t kiss anyone,” I replied immediately. Although I told the truth, no one seemed to believe me. My face turned so red that I thought I was going to evaporate.


A little boy sleeping on the bed.

Epstein-Barr virus

The “kissing disease” is the common name we use to refer to the disease called infectious mononucleosis (IM), caused mostly by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It usually appears in adolescents and young adults.

The first to use the term were Sprunts and Evans, in 1920, to name a syndrome characterized by headache or sore throat, fever, enlarged lymph nodes in armpits or neck, pharyngitis and rash.

kissing sickness
kissing sickness
Manuel_Faba

Although in 90-95% of cases it is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which belongs to the family of herpes-viruses, there are also cases of mononucleosis caused by cytomegalovirus. In addition, we must bear in mind that there are similar manifestations in cases of toxoplasmosis, VIH, rubeola, adenovirus o hepatitis A, B o C.


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How is it diagnosed?

How is it diagnosed then? Although it is not easy, in the last century certain changes at the blood level have been identified, such as the increase in leukocyte levels or the presence of antibodies in the blood called heterophiles, which allow the safe recognition of the disease and the causative agent.

However, due to reliability, precision, and high cost, in most consultations the diagnosis is reached in the presence of at least two of the symptoms of the classic triad (fever, pharyngitis, and lymphadenopathy) and taking into account the predominant age ( 15-24 years).

Who, how and when can we get infected?

In most cases, the contagion or infection with EBV usually goes unnoticed. In fact, it is estimated that 95% of the population have been infected at some point of our life with this virus with symptoms that do not exist or that we have overlooked.


Tos

The main source of contagion is oral contact through saliva, as is the case with the coronavirus that causes covid-19. This includes not only the kiss, but also sharing eating utensils, bottles of water or alcoholic beverages (in the classic bottles), or have sex. It can take between 32 and 49 days from infection to the appearance of the first symptoms, well above the 7-10 days that elapse in the case of SARS-CoV-2. And be careful, because in this period we can already transmit the virus.

Symptom Duration

The symptoms usually last between 2 and 4 weeks maximum, but the presence of oral load of the virus usually exceeds five months.


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The worst thing is that not everything ends here, becoming infected with EBV can have long-term consequences. Certain types of cancer or autoimmune diseases have been related to the presence of this virus.

Although knowing this virus does not have to put an end to kissing, it is important to be vigilant in case symptoms appear.

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