Mononucleosis

Surprising Facts

One click to get to the article by Ben-Joseph (2020) and there, in very simple terms, is the astonishing information about this wily disease. Mono is a tricky, sneaky, and sometimes silent contagion. One can be exposed to it, then is immediately contagious, without symptoms or knowledge of exposure. Is this not incredible? 

Someone can be a carrier and never appreciate any symptoms, while the virus lies dormant for the rest of their life. Even if they experience symptoms and recover well, the contagion can still be spread by that host for months. In fact, experts are not sure how long someone remains contagious after symptoms are gone!  

The Awakening

Specifically regarding infectious mono caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), it is possible for the dormant virus to awaken and find its way once again to the saliva of the host. The host may or may not experience symptoms, but they can still spread this Machiavellian contagion! And by Machiavellian, I do mean this official definition "characterized by subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency..." (Dictionary.com, LLC, 2022).

But Wait, There is More 

As if all of this was not shocking enough for those learning about it for the first time, or refreshing after a long time, there are other contagions that can cause mononucleosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). I do not fully grasp this, and am not sure that I want to, but there are eight other viruses that can cause infectious mono! Here they are: cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, HIV, rubella, adenovirus, and the sisters - Hepatitis A, B, or C (CDC, 2020). Yes, I do not know how or why, and did more than a fair amount of searching and reading and digging, but each one can cause infectious mononucleosis as well. Go figure.

Conclusion

First of all, I have more questions than answers after following Alice the way I did, way down into that rabbit hole...and boy did I find a crazy tea party.

Someone please explain this to me. I am not even sure how to write my biggest question... so is the word "mononucleosis" more of a descriptor of what occurs with the infection? Why do we call it a mononucleosis infection - instead of an EBV infection? ...or a human herpesvirus 4 infection? It is a fact that when someone talks about "mono" or "mononucleosis" they are referring to the EBV viral infection, the most common cause of mono (National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases [NCIRD], 2020). 

I looked into the pathology of infectious mononucleosis and then looked at the virology and genetics, and most resources primarily focus on EBV because that is the causative agent 90% of the time (Smatti, et al., 2018). Also according to Smatti, et al. (2018), "...[EBV] is a DNA lymphotropic herpesvirus and the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis" (para. 1).

Riddle me this, medicine...riddle me this!

References

Ben-Joseph, E. P. (Ed.). (2020, January). How long is mono contagious? KidsHealth For Teens. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/mono-long.htmlLinks to an external site.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020, September 28). About infectious mononucleosis. Epstein-Barr Virus and Infectious Mononucleosis. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/epstein-barr/about-mono.htmlLinks to an external site.

Dictionary.com, LLC. (2022). Machiavellian definition & meaning. Dictionary.com Unabridged, Based on The Random House Unabridged Dictionary © Random House, Inc. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/machiavellianLinks to an external site.

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). (2020, September 28). About infectious mononucleosis. Epstein-Barr Virus and Infectious Mononucleosis. https://www.cdc.gov/epstein-barr/about-mono.html

Smatti, M. K., Al-Sadeq, D. W., Ali, N. H., Pintus, G., Abou-Saleh, H., & Nasrallah, G. K. (2018, May 24). Epstein–Barr virus epidemiology, serology, and genetic variability of LMP-1 oncogene among healthy population: An update. Frontiers in Oncology. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2018.00211/fullLinks to an external site.