Table of Contents
What glands are affected by the mumps?
Mumps usually involves pain, tenderness, and swelling in one or both parotid salivary glands (cheek and jaw area).
Mumps is a contagious disease that is caused by a virus. It typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite.
Which tissue does mumps virus infect?
Mumps is an infection caused by a virus. It can infect many parts of the body, but is best known for causing swelling of the parotid glands. These glands, which make saliva (spit), are in front of the ear, around the jaw.
How does mumps affect the body?
Fatigue, weakness and fever can occur. Mumps can make eating painful. Mumps may cause dangerous complications, including encephalitis, meningitis, pancreatitis, inflammation of the testicles or ovaries, and hearing loss.
What causes mumps virus?
Mumps is caused by a virus that spreads easily from person to person through infected saliva. If you’re not immune, you can contract mumps by breathing in saliva droplets from an infected person who has just sneezed or coughed. You can also contract mumps from sharing utensils or cups with someone who has mumps.
How does mumps virus function?
Mumps virus is a nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae. It causes childhood diseases characterized by swelling of the salivary gland (parotitis) and the testes (orchitis).
Does mumps affect male fertility?
Just under half of all males who get mumps-related orchitis notice some shrinkage of their testicles and an estimated 1 in 10 men experience a drop in their sperm count (the amount of healthy sperm their body can produce). However, this is very rarely large enough to cause infertility.
Who is most affected by mumps?
Affected Populations It affects males and females in equal numbers. Among those not immunized, the disease strikes most often in children between the ages of five and fifteen, but adults can also be affected.
Why does mumps affect parotid gland?
Mumps is a contagious disease caused by a virus that passes from one person to another through saliva, nasal secretions, and close personal contact. The condition primarily affects the salivary glands, also called the parotid glands. These glands are responsible for producing saliva.
Does mumps have a vaccine?
There are 2 vaccines that can prevent mumps: The MMR vaccine protects children and adults from mumps, measles, and rubella. The MMRV vaccine protects children from mumps, measles, rubella, and chickenpox.
Can females get mumps?
Females infected with mumps may experience swelling of the ovaries. The inflammation can be painful but doesn’t harm a woman’s eggs. However, if a woman contracts mumps during pregnancy, she has a higher-than-normal risk of experiencing a miscarriage.