Infectious mononucleosis

Infectious mononucleosis (IM; also known as mono, glandular fever, Pfeiffer's disease, Filatov's disease, and sometimes colloquially as the kissing disease from its transmission by saliva) is an infectious, widespread viral disease most commonly caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), a member of the herpes virus family, against which over 90% of adults are likely to have acquired immunity by the age of 40. Occasionally, the symptoms can reoccur at a later period. Most people are exposed to the virus as children, when the disease produces no noticeable or only flu-like symptoms. In developing countries, people are exposed to the virus in early childhood more often than in developed countries. As a result, the disease in its observable form is more common in developed countries. It is most common among adolescents and young adults.