Test Your Knowledge

To diagnose mononucleosis (mono), a physician may perform a complete physical examination and compile a thorough medical history. Generally, the presence of fever, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes for between one and four weeks is enough for a physician to suspect a diagnosis of mono. The physician may also press on the abdomen to look for signs of an enlarged liver or spleen and may look for signs of a skin rash.

A specific blood test called the monospot blood test may be performed to confirm the presence of a current mono infection. Other blood tests may indicate whether a person was ever previously exposed to the Epstein-Barr virus. A complete blood count (CBC) may also be used.

A throat culture is sometimes performed to rule out strep throat, which may sometimes accompany mono or may be confused with mono. It is important to identify strep throat infections since they require antibiotic treatment.

Patients with mono may undergo an ultrasound after symptoms have subsided. This is sometimes used to evaluate whether the spleen has returned to its normal size, before a patient is allowed to safely resume physical activity.