I have never had mononucleosis and have never been exposed to the Epstein-Bar virus... I think researchers will never really know the true cause of lupus and other autoimmune diseases. The Stanford study resulted in a hypothesis... A hypothesis is not a theory and therefore cannot be quantified as absolute proof of cause... In the case of lupus there just isn't enough concrete evidence to prove one way or another that mono and or the Epstein-Bar virus causes or triggers the onset of lupus.

I had mono in my 20s.

As far as I know I have never had mono. I had the Hong Kong flue when I was in grade 7. Have a great day.💐

It was about a month after a severe case of EBV that I developed pneumonia and a horrible and chronic GI condition. Avoiding allium in my diet and general self-care are my only weapons against this (and avoiding anything that excites the autoimmune system). I have no diagnosis of SLE despite having nearly all the symptoms and no other causes named: my symptoms are dismissed as IBD since my ana tests don't have the markers required for an actual treatment plan. And yet fibromyalgia was diagnosed in my 20s with only symptomatology as my joint pain, headaches, and cfs. My time and money are better spent doing my own self-care, but I worry that as I age, if something became acute, the lack of diagnostic labels and tools will cause me to suffer with my health and finances. Sigh….