Today, the scientific world seems to be making huge strides in curing all diseases. Steps are taken in research into cancer, HIV, dementia, … and this often makes the media. I am happy about this so that people with this disease can be helped.
I myself have glandular fever for the second time, I’ve been at home for six months because I’m tired. An extreme and prolonged (six months is land) fatigue is my biggest complaint. Doctors can only advise you to rest, there is no medication against it. The fact that I have glandular fever for the second time (all my antibodies had run out) was a surprise to my family doctor.
Is there actually any scientific research being done to better understand this EBV virus? Is there still an effort to find a medication for this virus? Is it because mononucleosis is not fatal that it seems that fighting the EBV virus is less interesting?
I have already read in one of your answers that a second infection is not possible with EBV. I fully understand this and I can agree with this – as a patient with a second infection. But I don’t understand why you can only develop true glandular fever once, but can go through a syndrome similar to glandular fever several times.
Does this mean I don’t have a true mononucleosis because it’s the second time? If it’s a syndrome, isn’t the cause elsewhere? How is it then that my ‘real’ first mononucleosis took a very mild form and the ‘syndrome, the second mononucleosis takes a much more extreme form?
Answer
Research into viral infections, including by the Epstein-Barr virus continues unabated. Research is also being conducted into an effective vaccine against EBV. As a herpes virus, EBV remains in the infected person for life. Re-infection does not occur, but the virus can “flare up” in some people, producing more virus particles, compared to the situation in which the virus is kept under more control. With a first infection, especially in adolescents and adults, a syndrome (infectious mononucleosis) in which prolonged but fortunately transient fatigue is often in the foreground. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can also trigger such a syndrome, which is an alternative explanation for the recurrence of this syndrome in one person. immunity these herpes viruses are usually kept under control, although they are not eliminated from the body Both infections are very frequent in Europe, the vast majority of adults are infected with EBV, a good half with CMV Your GP is the best person to complaints by following up on these infections.
Answered by
Prof. dr. Dr Bruno Verhasselt
Microbiology and Immunology
http://www.ugent.be
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