[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Respiratory RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/respiratory-rna-viruses/) › Mumps virus

[Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Respiratory RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/respiratory-rna-viruses/)

# Mumps virus

- Virus
- Enveloped
- Droplet
- Exam priority: medium

The mumps virus. It swells the salivary glands, mostly the parotids, and sometimes the testes, pancreas or meninges.

Updated 2026-11-01

Also called: mumps

## Key points

- Paramyxovirus with HN and F proteins
- Parotitis plus orchitis, aseptic meningitis or pancreatitis
- Droplet precautions; isolation five days after parotitis
- Prevented by MMR

## At a glance

**Shape**
Pleomorphic spherical

**Genome**
Single-stranded, negative-sense, non-segmented RNA

**Envelope**
Enveloped

**Family**
Paramyxoviridae, genus Orthorubulavirus

**Size**
Pleomorphic, about 150 nm or more (up to several hundred nm)

## Morphology

- Envelope with haemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and fusion protein (F)
- A single serotype

## Transmission

- Respiratory droplets and direct contact with saliva
- Contagious from two days before to five days after parotitis begins
- Outbreaks in schools, universities and barracks

**Reservoir:** Humans only

### Isolation precautions

What the care team adds to standard precautions.

**Droplet**
Surgical mask within about a metre; single room.

## Virulence factors

- Replicates in the upper airway and lymph nodes, then reaches glands and the nervous system through viraemia
- Tropism for glandular tissue (parotid, testis, ovary, pancreas) and the meninges

## Diseases it causes

- Mumps parotitis, with orchitis, aseptic meningitis, pancreatitis or deafness [Mumps →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/mumps/)

## Clinical picture

- Fever, headache and malaise, followed by painful one- or two-sided parotitis
- Orchitis, mostly after puberty; it rarely causes sterility
- Aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, pancreatitis, oophoritis
- Sensorineural deafness, sometimes permanent

## Diagnosis

- RT-PCR on a buccal swab (after parotid massage)
- Serum IgM, hard to read in vaccinated people
- Raised serum amylase from parotitis
- A negative result does not rule it out

## Treatment

There is no antiviral: analgesics, compresses and rest. Orchitis is managed with pain relief and scrotal support.

Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline.

## Prevention

- MMR vaccine in two doses
- Isolation until five days after parotitis begins
- Droplet precautions in hospital

**Vaccine:** Part of the live attenuated MMR vaccine in Colombia's PAI.

## In Colombia

Mumps is notifiable to SIVIGILA; Colombia has had large outbreaks in recent years, mostly among adolescents and young adults in schools, universities and institutions.

## Memory aid

Mumps goes for the "POM" glands: Parotid, Orchis (testis) and the Meninges, plus the pancreas.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which gland is typically inflamed in mumps?

The parotid gland, on one or both sides.

## What is the best-known genital complication of mumps after puberty?

Orchitis, a painful inflammation of the testis.

## How long is a mumps patient isolated?

Until five days after parotitis begins, with droplet precautions.

[Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/microbiology/mumps-virus/)

## Related

- [Measles virus](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/measles-virus/)
- [Rubella virus](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/rubella-virus/)

## Related conditions

- [Mumps](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/mumps/)

## What the colours mean

**Gram-positive**
Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple.

**Gram-negative**
Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink.

**Acid-fast**
Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain.

**Contact**
Gown and gloves; dedicated equipment. For C. difficile, soap-and-water hand washing.

**Droplet**
Surgical mask within about a metre; single room.

**Airborne**
N95 respirator and a negative-pressure room.

[← Back to the group: Respiratory RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/respiratory-rna-viruses/)

Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [Clinical Overview of Mumps](https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html) (CDC, 2025); [Mumps](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001557.htm) (MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 2025); [Appendix A: Type and Duration of Precautions Recommended for Selected Infections and Conditions](https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/isolation-precautions/appendix-a-type-duration.html) (CDC, 2024).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/mumps-virus/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/mumps-virus/