The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a type of herpes virus. It is extremely common — about 19 out of 20 people worldwide have experienced an infection with EBV at some point, although many don’t realize it.
In many cases, you won’t experience any signs of EBV. Sometimes, an EBV infection may lead to symptoms that mimic those of a cold or other mild illness, including:
EBV can sometimes lead to a condition called mononucleosis, which leads to headaches, sore throat, fatigue, fever, and body aches and pains. Mononucleosis may last for several weeks or even months.
Rarely, people may experience breathing problems during an EBV infection. This may happen if the virus causes the tonsils to swell, partially closing off the airways.
EBV can sometimes trigger serious health conditions such as myocarditis (an infection of the heart), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), acute acalculous cholecystitis (swelling of the gallbladder), encephalitis (swelling of the brain), Burkitt lymphoma (cancer of the white blood cells), cancer of the nose or throat, or multiple sclerosis (a condition in which your immune system attacks your nerve cells). However, these conditions are very rare — most people have had EBV, but very few will develop these more serious disorders.
EBV can spread from person to person through saliva. For example, you could come into contact with EBV through kissing or by sharing utensils, food, drinks, or a toothbrush.
Occasionally, EBV is spread through other body fluids. You can contract EBV from having sex, undergoing a blood transfusion, or getting an organ transplant.
EBV can be spread even if the infected person is not currently sick. After an infection, the virus can “go to sleep” (become dormant) in the body and many months or years later may get reactivated and become able to spread again. EBV is most likely to get reactivated if you have a weakened immune system, go through menopause, or experience high stress levels.
Most people are infected with EBV as children. This virus is more common in children who live with many other individuals or come from families with lower incomes.
During an infection, your body makes immune proteins (antibodies) that help identify and fight off EBV. After a few weeks, levels of these antibodies will drop. Your doctor can perform a blood test (the Epstein-Barr virus antibody test) to look for these proteins and determine whether you’ve recently had an infection.
There aren’t any treatments that can clear EBV from the body. However, you can treat symptoms by:
EBV symptoms usually clear up within two to four weeks. Sometimes, they may last up to several months.