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How mono or ‘the kissing disease’ may increase your risk for other illnesses
The Epstein-Barr virus behind mono, which spreads through saliva, sits silently in the body but can reactivate
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Scientists have identified 22 genes that increase the risk of conditions such as lupus, stroke and rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have caught the virus behind mono, an illness known as the “kissing disease”.
The research, published in the journal Nature, tried to unravel why some people who contract the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) go on to experience other medical conditions later in life. The hope is that by understanding who is most at risk, scientists might be able to better target treatments and turbocharge research into vaccines for prevention.
The pandemic sparked renewed interest in EBV as experts probe its potential connection to long Covid. The latest study from researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, Baylor College of Medicine in the US state of Texas and drug maker AstraZeneca points to a likely relationship between the virus and chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition that shares similarities with long Covid.
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EBV is a common virus that causes mononucleosis, which is sometimes known as glandular fever or the “kissing disease” as it is spread through saliva. Most people get infected with the virus at some time in their life, usually in their teens, but not all develop symptoms.
After the infection, the virus sits silently in the body and can reactivate.
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“I think 50 years from now, we are going to look back and say, ‘how were we letting ourselves all get infected by EBV’?” says Caleb Lareau, a principal investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering and one of the paper’s authors. “This is clearly a detriment to our health.”
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