"My roommates quarantined all the food items I touched," he says.

The stress of life at high-pressure colleges like Harvard also leads to mono for overworked students. Unhealthy living styles aggravate students' mononucleosis, Rosenthal says.

"There's no question that if they're burning the candle at both ends, they're more susceptible," he says.

Lisa L. Ritter '97 says she was not surprised to learn she had mono.

"I was stupid. I only got about three hours of sleep a night for about a month," she says. "There's an attitude at college that you should be doing work--that if you are getting sleep, something is wrong with you."

She's changed her ways now, however.

"I learned my lesson," she says. "I got eight hours [per night for] the rest of the year."

Weeks in Bed

For those who do get the disease, weeks in bed are the norm. The most common symptoms are a sore throat, swollen glands and general exhaustion. Most sufferers from the disease, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, get a fever. Two-thirds have an enlarged spleen.

Many patients' livers are affected, and one-third of mono sufferers have strep throat as well, according to Rosenthal.

"Mono is very variable, due to liver involvement," Rosenthal says. "If there are liver problems, that causes the most fatigue."

Ruth S. Raskas '96 developed a severe case of mono last January and February. She was diagnosed by her home doctor over intersession. He told her she was going to have to take the semester off.

"I had terribly swollen glands," she says. "I couldn't swallow, couldn't eat, I don't remember ever being so sick."

Despite her doctor's advice, Raskas missed only three weeks of school. "I didn't do very many extracurriculars, and slept a lot," she says.

While a mild case might only last three weeks, mono can linger for three to six months in some people. Most students are back to their activities in six to eight weeks, Rosenthal says.