Introduction
The Epstein-Barr virus is a human herpes virus that causes “infectious mononucleosis” and is also a virus that has been found to be carcinogenic. The acute form of the disease, Pfeiffer’s glandular fever or otherwise known as infectious mononucleosis, occurs in many different degrees of intensity. The incubation period also shows a wide range of different variants. The incubation period describes the time from the time of infection to the outbreak and the beginning of the first symptoms – literally it means “time of incubation”. General information is available on the main page: The Pfeiffer’s glandular fever
The incubation period is as long as
How long the incubation period with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever lasts is individual for each patient. In principle, however, it can be said that the time from infection with the Epstein Barr virus to the outbreak of the disease can be approximately one to seven weeks. In some patients, the virus has already multiplied in the human body within 7 days in such a way that the immune system can no longer adequately fight off the intruder.
The typical symptoms such as tonsillitis, swelling of the lymph nodes and fever then signal that the disease has broken out. In other cases, it takes considerably longer and Pfeiffer’s glandular fever does not show its symptoms until after about 50 days. The incubation period ends when the clinical symptoms begin.
During the incubation period, the Epstein Barr virus mainly attacks the B-lymphocytes of the human immune system. It multiplies its DNA in these cells and remains inactive even after healing of the disease. Thus, in exceptional cases, reactivation or chronification of the viral infection can occur.
These symptoms already occur during the incubation period
The incubation period in the case of whistling glandular fever begins at the time of infection by the virus and ends when the disease breaks out. If the patient shows the typical signs such as inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils, fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes, he has passed from the incubation period to the phase of the disease. But even before the appearance of the typical symptoms of infectious mononucleosis, many people show a general feeling of discomfort during the incubation period.
This can lead to pain in the limbs, a feeling of weakness, sore throat or fever. Many people are also familiar with this time as an unspecific phase of illness, before one knows exactly which disease will break out. Although the same virus in adults and children the Pfeiffersche glandular fever triggers, the incubation period can be different.
Basically, the immune system of an adult is much more mature than in a baby. In many diseases, the incubation period in children is therefore shorter than in adults. The disease breaks out faster and shows more clinical symptoms. However, this is the case when a toddler has a symptomatic course of the whistling glandular fever. Often, however, the course in babies is asymptomatic.
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