Other meanings of Mumps
Infectious Diseases
Mumps is a highly contagious viral infection caused by the mumps virus, a member of the Paramyxoviridae family, characterized primarily by painful swelling of the parotid glands. Before widespread vaccination, it was a common childhood disease, but the introduction of the MMR vaccine has drastically reduced its incidence in many countries. The infection is typically self-limiting, but complications such as meningitis, orchitis, and deafness can occur, particularly in adolescents and adults.
The mumps virus is an enveloped, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Rubulavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. It has two major glycoproteins: the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein, which mediates attachment to sialic acid receptors, and the fusion (F) protein, which facilitates membrane fusion. The virus is transmitted via respiratory droplets, direct contact, or fomites, and it replicates initially in the upper respiratory tract epithelium before spreading to regional lymph nodes and then to the bloodstream, leading to systemic dissemination.1
After an incubation period of 12–25 days, the classic presentation is bilateral or unilateral parotitis, with swelling of the parotid glands causing earache and difficulty chewing. However, up to 30% of infections are asymptomatic or present with only nonspecific respiratory symptoms. Complications include orchitis in up to 30% of postpubertal males, which rarely leads to sterility, as well as aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, pancreatitis, and sensorineural deafness, which is usually unilateral and permanent.2
Diagnosis is typically clinical, but laboratory confirmation is achieved by detecting mumps-specific IgM antibodies, viral RNA via RT-PCR from saliva or urine, or by virus isolation in cell culture. Prevention relies on the live attenuated mumps vaccine, usually administered as part of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine. Two doses are recommended, with the first at 12–15 months and the second at 4–6 years. Vaccine effectiveness is about 88% for two doses, but waning immunity can lead to outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations, prompting booster doses in some settings.3
Mumps has a long history, with Hippocrates describing an outbreak on Thasos around 410 BCE. The virus was first isolated in 1945 from embryonated hen eggs, and the first inactivated vaccine was developed in the 1950s, but it provided only short-lived immunity. The Jeryl Lynn strain, named after the daughter of the virologist Maurice Hilleman, who isolated it from her throat in 1963, remains the basis of most mumps vaccines used today. Notably, mumps was a leading cause of acquired deafness in children before vaccination, and the virus can also cause transient renal dysfunction, though it is rarely clinically significant.
This article is for informational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice.
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