Infectious mononucleosis with Staphylococcus aureus pharyngitis co-infection

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a member of the herpesvirus family, is one of the most common human viruses affecting more than 90% of the world's population. The most common manifestation of primary infection is a self-limited clinical syndrome that most frequently affects adolescents and young adults. The incidence of clinical infectious mononucleosis is not well documented because reporting is not obligatory in most states. The available data have been derived from special surveys such as the community survey in Olmstead County, Minnesota, which includes the Mayo Clinic, where a rate of 200 per 100,000 patients had a positive heterophile test.1 Once a diagnosis of mononucleosis is confirmed, treatment is supportive because there is no specific treatment for the disease. Mononucleosis is rarely fatal but some complications include central nervous system involvement, splenic rupture, upper airway obstruction, and bacterial super infections. The following clinical case is of a patient diagnosed with acute infectious mononucleosis with Staphylococcus aureus pharyngitis co-infection.