Infectious Mononucleosis (Mono) Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Learn when to suspect infectious mononucleosis, how to confirm it with diagnostic tests, and how to tell it apart from strep throat and more dangerous conditions like lymphoma. In this video, you will also learn to interpret heterophile antibody tests and specific serologic tests for EBV (Epstein-Barr virus), the cause of infectious mononucleosis. You will also learn about potential complications, recovery, and when it's safe for patients with mono to return to school, work, and sports.

If you want to learn how to recognize life-threatening infections like sepsis and CNS infections as early as possible, I highly recommend you take my free online course!

A Clinical Approach to Serious Infections in Adults: What Every Physician Should Know:

DISCLAIMER: Please, always keep in mind that my videos are intended for educational purposes only. The content of my videos is NOT medical advice. I do not practice medicine over the internet. If you are a patient and have any questions about your health, please talk to your doctor.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 The problem with infectious mononucleosis
00:45 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV): the cause of infectious mononucleosis
01:00 Transmission of mono in children, teenagers, and adults
02:04 Basic pathophysiology of Epstein-Barr virus infection
02:29 Symptoms of infectious mononucleosis (mono)
03:24 Lymphocytosis (B cells and atypical lymphocytes) in mono
05:06 Infectious mononucleosis vs. strep throat and other causes of pharyngitis
06:13 Laboratory abnormalities in infectious mononucleosis
07:07 Serologic tests for EBV (antibodies for EBV like VCA IgM, VCA IgG, and EBNA IgG)
08:45 Heterophile antibody tests for mono
10:00 Differential diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis
12:45 Treatment of mono
14:00 When to return to work, school, and sports after mono

RESOURCES & RECOMMENDED READING:
1. Dunmire SK, Hogquist KA, Balfour HH. Infectious Mononucleosis. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2015;390(Pt 1):211–40.

[Hannah-rrgn]

I’m 18 and have mono right now and it is no joke! I’ve had Covid 3 times and this is by far the worst. I’ve been in so much pain and have been crying.

[t.h.]

I got mono when I was 20. I was married, I had no idea how I got it. I've had what was believed to be strep throat since then dozens of times. I think those times it was mono. Thank you for educating us.

[TributeMackAngrierMack]

Once I had mono when I was 13. I began to cry because how bad the pain is I’m 20 now and I hopefully will never get that again.

[kcandyou]

I had mono junior year of high school. I was 16 went from 116 pounds very strong in weight training to 90 pounds and so weak. My tonaila qere so swollen they touched and were all white white. My neck was so swollen outward from my lynph nodes it looked like i had baseballs on the sides of my neck and any movement hurt.

It took a long time to fully recover. I am so glad i finally got it my tonsils out at 19. I had strep throat so many times from 14 yrs old on then after mono constant sore throats. The Dr said when he sliced them out puss oozed out of them. It was like a permanent state for them and id never have gotten better.

[krissyrivard]

This was an incredibly informative video, and I thank the creator for that. I am experiencing this is my 30s, and it's difficult. I am so dizzy, in so much pain, and get so got and cold that it's difficult to get up for the bathroom or hydration. If a loved one is going though this, please monitor them regularly & care for them. I have never felt more helpless or pitiful.

[AR-ujfe]

Had mono since January until now and symptoms are mostly nonexistent for me except how it’s difficult to swallow solid food and I have this lump in my throat that makes it hard to breathe and won’t go away. It’s affected my day to day life and I’m scared that it could potentially get worse. It’s already been so long and I feel like this :( I do hope doctors will come up with a vaccine/medication to fight this virus. It really sucks for us who have to deal with it and recover for such a long time 😔

[deanmason]

I am 62 and have been diagnosed with Mono, I know it's a lot of fun, I do however have no, zero, none of the sore throat glands or any of the neck glands, now I am worried, back to the Doctor.

[GardenerRose]

My son was in the LA airport for layover ! He said it was so dirty got home and had a rash on face soar throat, he arrived at his usual self, but within a few days, he became so tired he couldn't get out of bed ! Waiting to hear his results if its mono

[gsav]

I have this shit rn and holy shit does the sore throat hurt

[ivanaoslakovic]

Ono kad tražiš razlike strepta i mono na youtubeu (i moliš Boga da samo dobiješ antibiotik i ne pokvariš velike planove), naiđeš na Hrvata kojeg poslušaš od a do ž jer je tako zanimljiv. 🤓
Oh well... Kao što to biva, uvijek se nekako razbolimo petkom navečer ili vikendom. Hitna, here I come! xD.
Great video, doktore.

[sueregan]

I came down with mono in 1970 and never fully recovered. Took about a year for the white blood cells to return to normal, but for the next two years of active duty military service I just did my shift and went home to bed. Any extra activity like driving for a day caused temp to go to 101 F. Then, after about 20 years I developed full blown ME/CFS, and all the tests said I had active mono or Epstein-bar. Eventually I couldn’t walk and numerous tests eliminated all other causes. Since it was well documented that I had acquired this while on active duty, the VA easily awarded service connected disability support.

[worldmedia]

Just passin day 11 of sore throat. It’s horrible. Have gone to the ER multiple times. Hoping it goes away soon! I’ve read a week to months so like ughh

[KOfficial]

Just got diagnosed with mono so painful and without any treatment makes me wanna give up

[staceyrosado]

My child just got diagnosed with mono she was hospitalized for days before they came up with this. Her spleen and gallbladder was swollen and she had so much pain we were in the hospital for three days the day we came home she had high fever an couldn’t swallow and breathing was a problem. IM SO UPSET WHY IS THERE NO VACCINE FOR THIS WHY IS THERE NO CURE FOR this! I’m so upset she has to deal with this her whole life.


I’ll say my husband used a breathing treatment that we used for Covid and the next day she was 70% better used it again was 50% better she’s doing so good now that we took her treatment in our own hands

[Essie]

Absolutely what I am going throughout for years!!!! It never goes away it comes back in flares. Makes me hopeless 😢 i have fibromyalgia diagnosed now

[BrianGemberling]

Unbelievably clear and detailed explanation and differential analysis

[jamesscober]

This is way to technical for me. I just want my 9 year old daughter to get better after being diagnosed with MONO

[Cece_m]

Could it be possible you can get it from clinic equipment? I visited an ENT clinic because I saw a one white like a ceast on my throat..my throat at that time was clean and the tonsil is not big. It's like a thin skin on my mouth. The clinic said it was just a fat that was built. After I visited the clinic, few days after I sneezed the whole night and my tonsil swollen and I noticed my tonsil got bigger . Now, it's been 5 months still big and I now saw white spots tho I tried antibiotics for a week before I saw these white substances.

[Kingaronfi]

i am 30 and i just got mono a month and a half ago. im really struggling. they just think its mono because i tested positive but they say the test is not always right so they took like 20 small glass things of blood day after day. i had an infetion and a cold and spleen pain and splenic infarction and i puked once not much and i had eating problem. couldnt eat almost anything. i called the hospital and they took me in right away. been there for 4 days or maybe longer. i struggled to walk because spleen pain and pain in spleen from breathing. now im home and been waiting almost a month for my results of if it is mono or something else, they are very slow and they have cancelled 3 times. i have to use blood thinners so that the blood clot in the spleen wont spread or get worse. so the day they sent me home i had so much pain but the hospital was very full and i was doing better. when i got home i felt better every day. but my other symtom is pain in the left shoulder neck area and i struggle to walk up and down the stairs because of breathing problems from mono. yesterday the pain was worse but got better today but not by much. so i need to use blood thinners needle every mornings and before bed. and i feel tired all the time.

does anyone have any advice or know for sure that this is mono? not sure where i got it but my girlfriend have had is as a teen, and we kiss alot. and we have been eating fast food some times.

[cookiebarsxtreme]

Doctor tested me for strep throat and Covid and they came out negative and he sent me home with antibiotics but now I’m thinking I might have mono cuz of my symptoms. And since mono is a viral infection and not bacterial, this medicine ain’t gonna do anything. Going back to the doctor to see if they can test for mono