Epstein barr virus which causes infectious mononucleosis

See smartphone apps to check your skin. Books about skin diseases Books about the skin Dermatology Made Easy book. DermNet NZ does not provide an online consultation service. If you have any concerns with your skin or its treatment, see a dermatologist for advice. Infectious mononucleosis — codes and concepts open. Glandular fever, Infective mononucleosis, Monocytic angina, Pfeiffer disease, Mononucleosis syndrome.

Viral infection. Exanthem of glandular fever, Ampicillin hypersensitivity rash in glandular fever, Uncommon skin conditions in glandular fever, Epstein-Barr virus, Human herpesvirus-4 HHV4. Temporary skin reactions to penicillins during the acute stage of infectious mononucleosis. Scand J Infect Dis. Incidence of rash after amoxicillin treatment in children with infectious mononucleosis. Infectious mononucleosis. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol.

Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis. Am Fam Physician. Epstein-Barr virus: dermatologic associations and implications: part I. Mucocutaneous manifestations of Epstein-Barr virus and nonmalignant disorders. J Am Acad Dermatol. Clinical differentiation of infectious mononucleosis that is caused by Epstein-Barr virus or cytomegalovirus: a single-center case-control study in Japan.

J Infect Chemother. Antibiotic induced cutaneous rash in infectious mononucleosis: overview of the literature. J Allergy Ther ; However, uninfected adolescents and young adults who come in contact with the virus may develop an illness very similar to infectious mononucleosis. However, even after the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis have disappeared, the EBV will remain dormant in the throat and blood cells during that person's lifetime.

The virus can reactivate periodically, however, usually without symptoms. Mononucleosis usually lasts for 1 to 2 months. The following are the most common symptoms of mononucleosis. However, each person may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:. Liver involvement, such as mild liver damage that can cause temporary jaundice, a yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes due to abnormally high levels of bilirubin bile pigmentation in the bloodstream.

Once a person has had mononucleosis, the virus remains dormant in the throat and blood cells for the rest of that person's life. Once a person has been exposed to the Epstein-Barr virus, a person is usually not at risk for developing mononucleosis again.

The symptoms of mononucleosis may resemble other medical conditions. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Sometimes the area around the eyes is swollen.

Rashes develop infrequently. However, people with an EBV infection who take the antibiotic ampicillin may be more likely to develop a rash. Other very rare complications include seizures, nerve damage, behavioral abnormalities, inflammation of the brain encephalitis Encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain that occurs when a virus directly infects the brain or when a virus, vaccine, or something else triggers inflammation.

The spinal cord may also be involved How long symptoms last varies. After about 2 weeks, symptoms subside, and most people can resume their usual activities. However, fatigue may persist for several more weeks and, occasionally, for months.

The symptoms of infectious mononucleosis also occur in many other viral and bacterial infections. Therefore, infectious mononucleosis is often unrecognized. However, swollen lymph nodes Swollen Lymph Nodes Lymph nodes are tiny, bean-shaped organs that filter lymph fluid. Usually, a simple blood test known as a heterophile antibody or monospot test is done to confirm the diagnosis.

This test can sometimes be negative early in illness in adolescents and adults, and if doctors strongly suspect the infection, they can repeat the test about a week later. This test is much less reliable and often negative in young children with infectious mononucleosis.

An alternative test to confirm the diagnosis is a specific antibody blood test for EBV. Antibodies Antibodies One of the body's lines of defense immune system involves white blood cells leukocytes that travel through the bloodstream and into tissues, searching for and attacking microorganisms and Often, a complete blood count is also done. Finding many characteristic mononuclear white blood cells atypical lymphocytes may be the first clue that the diagnosis is infectious mononucleosis.

People with infectious mononucleosis are encouraged to rest during the first week or two, while symptoms are severe. After about 2 weeks, they may be more active. However, because of the risk of rupturing the spleen, heavy lifting and contact sports should be avoided for at least 1 month, until doctors confirm by examination or sometimes ultrasonography that the spleen has returned to normal size.

Acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen can relieve fever and pain. However, aspirin should not be given to children because of the small risk that it may cause Reye syndrome Reye Syndrome Reye syndrome is a very rare but life-threatening disorder that causes inflammation and swelling of the brain and impairment and loss of function of the liver.

The cause of Reye syndrome is Some complications, such as severe swelling of the airways, may be treated with corticosteroids. Currently available antiviral drugs have little effect on the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis and should not be used.

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