Caught on the Court? Kissing Disease High Among Tennis Players

You wouldn't think that lots of tennis players would be caught with the kissing disease. Yet, these athletes often fall victim to mononucleosis, otherwise known as mono.

Christina McHale was sent on an emergency visit to the hospital for what she thought was a stomach bug or a sinus infection. Unfortunately, for the professional American tennis player, she had developed something much worse.

"I kept going back to the doctors because I wasn't getting better," McHale said, according to CNN. "I was still feeling very low on energy and they were like, 'No, you should already be over the stomach virus.' So then they started doing more tests, and that's when they found out what it was."

McHale isn't the only tennis player to have struggles with the virus, also known as glandular fever.

As tennis player's schedules can be very taxing, even the healthiest players can fall subject to some nasty illnesses. The intense physical and mental stress of the game itself, including frequent sharing of water, bottles, towels and other equipment, can make conditions ripe for catching the virus, which is spread by saliva, coughing and sneezing. (And maybe some off-camera make outs, too.) 

Mono is usually caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and is most often seen in teens and young adults. Children can get the virus, but it often goes unnoticed because their symptoms are mild. Older adults usually do not get mono, because they have immunity to the virus.