A 17-year-old female with suspected mononucleosis tested negative for heterophile antibody using the slide agglutination monotest.Her serum was sent to a reference lab,and the following results were obtained: negative for anti-VCA,positive for EA.What do these results suggest?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A negative result on the heterophile antibody test does not rule out mononucleosis because sometimes the test can be falsely negative. The presence of an early antigen (EA) in the serum suggests an active infection, and a negative result for anti-VCA indicates that the infection is recent. Therefore, the most likely explanation is that the patient is in the early stages of mononucleosis.

A 17-Year-Old Female with Suspected Mononucleosis Tested Negative for Heterophile