Introduction
Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is a contagious infectious disease, also known as infectious mononucleosis. The pathogen is the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which belongs to the group of herpes viruses. These viruses spread mainly through direct contact with saliva, for example when kissing.
This is why Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is often called “kissing disease”, “student disease” or “kissing disease”. Especially during the acute illness many viruses are in the saliva and can be contagious, while the infected patient may not show any symptoms at all. But even weeks or months after the acute illness with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever, the viruses can still be in the saliva and be contagious.
Both in a symptomatic infection (30-60% of cases) with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever and in contact with the pathogen without subsequent symptoms, the virus remains in the body for life. Like all herpes viruses, the Epstein-Barr virus can be reactivated. This means that it can happen again and again that there are viruses in the saliva with which one can infect other people.
This usually only becomes relevant when the body’s own immune system is suppressed by medication (e.g. in an HIV-infected patient or through immunosuppressive therapy after an organ transplant). Then the virus can multiply uncontrolled and is not immediately contained by the body’s own immune system. Up to 98% of people carry the Epstein-Barr virus and are therefore so-called “carriers”.
The reason for this is that the virus remains in the body for life, it can be reactivated and a person can therefore always be contagious. Also other transmission ways than the saliva contact are possible with the Pfeiffer glandular fever, form however rather the exception. The virus also spreads via droplet infection, which means that the pathogens are spread through the air, for example when speaking or coughing. In rare cases, one can also become infected with the pathogen of the whistling glandular fever in the course of a transplant or blood transfusion, since the viruses are also present in the blood. However, this form of infection is largely avoided by careful screening procedures of the blood banks for the Epstein-Barr virus.
