Kissing disease (or infectious mononucleosis ) is an infectious viral disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, a type of herpes virus that is transmitted mainly through saliva , mainly through kissing, but also by sharing drinks or food .
The truth is that it is a mild disease , which can even go unnoticed. Its most common symptoms are weakness and tiredness, but there may also be fatigue, fever, a sore throat, swollen liver, or even a rash. The way to detect it is through a simple blood test. There is currently no cure for it.
Once the person has been infected by the kissing disease, after spending a few days with the symptoms, the virus is stored throughout life in the body, but in an inactive mode . It is possible that the virus will reappear at some point, but only if there are specific characteristics that drastically lower our defenses, such as a problem with the immune system .
The Epstein-Barr virus (the one that causes kissing disease) is responsible for a wide range of diseases, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma. And now, a team of researchers from the University of Montreal (Canada) has discovered how it takes control of the gene regulation mechanisms of our cells to allow the virus to duplicate itself. The objective of this study, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens , is to be able to better treat not only kissing disease but also cancers caused by this virus .
