Is it possible to protect oneself from infection?
Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is asymptomatic in many people. Antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus are detectable in the blood of over 30 year olds in over 98% of cases. This means that it is actually not possible to protect oneself from infection.
However, normal interpersonal contact does not represent a particular risk factor for infection. It is not possible to look at a person or notice whether he or she is carrying the virus in him or herself and is currently contagious. All virus carriers are potentially contagious, but one is not permanently contagious.Up to a few weeks after the Pfeiffer’s glandular fever illness the affected person can still transmit the disease.
The fact that the virus can be reactivated again and again in phases means that there is a risk of infection later. The acutely ill patient should spend as little time as possible in company (sports groups, school classes, workplace) in order to protect his fellow human beings from infection with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever. Sports should also be avoided for a while in order not to damage the internal organs that are under greater strain when infected with the virus, such as the spleen.
There is currently no vaccination against the pathogen causing whistling glandular fever, but it is currently undergoing clinical trials. As a rule, a person only falls ill with mononucleosis once in the course of his or her life. In most cases, after surviving an infection with mononucleosis, those affected are immune and do not get the disease a second time.
This is made possible by the body’s own immune system, which forms antibodies and so-called “memory cells” with which it can repeatedly recognize and then inactivate the pathogen. It is particularly important for people with immune defects (e.g. after an organ transplant) to avoid contact with those affected, as they are particularly at risk of developing a severe course of Pfeiffer’s glandular fever. In people with an intact immune system, Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is only rarely dangerous; in most cases, the course of the disease is relatively mild.
If the partner is going through an acute infection of Pfeiffer’s glandular fever, mouth-to-mouth contact should generally not take place while symptoms of the disease are still present. This usually takes 2-5 weeks, but for safety’s sake you should discuss with your treating physician whether there really is no longer any acute danger of infection. The best protection against an infection with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is to avoid contact with infectious and symptomatic people (so-called exposure prophylaxis) and to kiss them as little as possible.
Sharing glasses or cutlery can also lead to saliva contact and thus to transmission. It is also conceivable that there is a risk of infection during sexual intercourse, since the viruses are also found in the mucosal cells of the genital area. Avoiding such contact can also provide protection against infection with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever. Furthermore, there is only a danger of infection when kissing if you have never been infected with the virus and have not yet experienced the Pfeiffer’s glandular fever.
