[100 years of Pfeiffer's glandular fever]

Glandular fever was described by Emil Pfeiffer in 1889. He characterized the disease as an infectious process with fever, a swelling of the lymph nodes including an enlargement of the liver and the spleen and with a pharyngitis. It was the beginning of a very interesting chapter of medical investigations during the next 100 years. The reports of leucocytosis in reaction to this acute infection were the next important step. Sprunt and Evans recommended therefore the term "infectious mononucleosis" in 1920. Further Paul and Bunnell (1932) found the presence of heterophil antibodies in glandular fever. In 1968 Henle and Henle discovered the relations of Epstein-Barr-Virus (EBV) to infectious mononucleosis. In this connection the pathogenesis of glandular fever was investigated. Also the diagnosis of the disease found a certain base by the EBV-antibodies and it was possible to give a reliable interpretation of the clinical course, the symptoms and the complications of infectious mononucleosis. Furthermore the atypical manifestation of glandular fever could be identified. In recent years the problems of persistent and chronic infections were discussed. At last the antiviral chemotherapy was tested.