Severe Respiratory Insufficiency Complicating Epstein-Barr Virus Infection: Case Report and Review

We report a case involving a young adult who had life-threatening bilateral pneumonitis in the course of an acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Because of severe hypoxemia, the patient required mechanical ventilation and additional oxygenation by an intravascular oxygenator. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and survived without sequelae. Severe pulmonary involve-ment associated with EBV infection is a rare but potentially fatal complication of infectious mononu-cleosis. Similar cases reported in the literature are reviewed, and the therapeutic options for this particular complication are discussed. Infectious mononucleosis is a worldwide, highly prevalent herpesvirus infection caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The disease is the result of a primary infection that occurs mostly early in life. During childhood, nonspecific symptoms or even a subclinical course prevail, whereas in adolescents the disease often leads to considerable morbidity [I]. Typically, the pa-tients present with the triad of fever, pharyngitis, and lymph-adenopathy, and splenomegaly is usually found on physica