The aim of this work was to assess the serum copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) level and ratio Cu/Zn in the acute, symptomatic period of infectious mononucleosis and during the convalescence period, when no clinical symptoms were present.
Material and methods: We examined 50 persons, including 26 patients (14 women and 12 men) in the age of 16 to 27 years, examined in the acute, symptomatic period of the disease. The diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis was based on the clinical, haematological, biochemical and serologic criteria. Cu and Zn concentration was measured 3 times: on the 1st day and the 2nd week of hospitalisation, and also after the regression of clinical symptoms. The control group consisted of 24 healthy individuals (13 men and 11 women) in the age of 17 to 26 years. Cu and Zn concentration was measured once in this group. All measurements of Cu and Zn serum concentration were done using the method of atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) with AAS-3 spectrophotometer of Carl Zeiss-Jena production, at the wavelength for Cu--324.8, Zn--213.9 nm. We observed the Cu and Zn serum concentration and ratio Cu/Zn in patients with acute, symptomatic infectious mononucleosis and also after the regression of clinical symptoms to be statistically higher that the results from the healthy individuals.
Conclusion: The statistical significant elevated serum Cu and Zn concentration observed during the course of infectious mononucleosis and after clinical symptoms regression in comparison to healthy persons expressed the perturbation of trace elements homeostasis. If copper to zinc ratio reflects myeloproliferative diseases activity, the practical value for infectious mononucleosis monitoring is the same as copper and zinc serum level measurement.