HIV/AIDS and infective mononucleosis

HIV/AIDS and glandular fever (mono, infective mononucleosis) are two completely different infective diseases. The only common thing for both diseases is that they are caused by viruses that attack the immune system. AIDS is caused by Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and mono is caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). HIV attacks the T-lymphocytes and EBV attacks the B-lymphocytes. They also have certain similar symptoms like fever, swollen lymph glands, susceptibility to various infections, etc. But beside these few similarities they are completely different diseases. Mono is basically a self-limiting condition that ends with spontaneous recovery in most of the cases. In a very little percentage of infected the infection causes chronic fatigue syndrome, reoccurring infection or various rare types of tumors (Burkitt’s lymphoma and pharyngeal carcinoma). On the other hand HIV/AIDS is a chronic infection that always ends with death.


Both diseases are diagnosed by detecting specific antibodies in the blood. If HIV appeared positive in the tests, another, more precise, control test would be done to confirm or exclude HIV-infection for sure.
You can request microbiological examination of a throat sample to identify the infective agent in the throat and to choose a proper antibiotic.