Description
Mumps is an acute, usually self-limited systemic illness characterized by parotiditis, high fever and fatigue. One third of infections are asymptomatic.This blood test determines if an individual has previously been vaccinated for the Mumps virus or has previously had the virus by detecting Mumps virus IgG antibodies. This titer test does not determine if an individual has a current, active ongoing Mumps infection.
The Mumps virus causes fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite and swollen salivary glands. Complications can include swelling of the testicles or ovaries, deafness, encephalitis and/or meningitis (inflammation of the brain and/or tissue covering the brain and spinal cord) and, in some cases, may result death.
Mumps is highly infectious among unvaccinated individuals and is typically transmitted through inhalation of infected respiratory droplets or secretions. Following an approximately 2 week incubation period, symptom onset is typically acute with a prodrome of low-grade fever, headache, and malaise. Painful enlargement of the salivary glands, the hallmark of mumps, occurs in approximately 60% to 70% of infections and in 95% of patients with symptoms. Testicular pain (orchitis) occurs in approximately 15% to 30% of postpubertal men and abdominal pain (oophoritis) is found in 5% of postpubertal women. Other complications include mumps-associated pancreatitis (5% of cases) and central nervous system disease (meningitis 10% and encephalitis 1%).
A few different methods are available to test for mumps:
Antibody testing (serology)
Antibody testing detects the antibodies produced by the immune system in response to a mumps infection or vaccine. This testing may be used to determine whether you are immune, diagnose an active case, or to track outbreaks. There are two classes of antibodies produced:
Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is the first type of antibody produced after infection or vaccination. The IgM antibody level (titer) increases for several days, peaks, and then begin to taper off over the next few weeks.
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is produced later, but once they develoo, they remain in the body for life, providing protection against re-infection. Sometimes, two blood samples are collected several days apart (acute and convalescent samples) and the level of antibodies is measured and compared. This may help to differentiate between an active infection and a prior infection.
Direct detection of the virus involve molecular methods such as PCR which is used to detect the mumps virus directly in a sample. These methods only identify active infections and cannot confirm immunity.
