Work

Detection of an infectious retrovirus, XMRV, in blood cells of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: In October 2009, we reported the first direct isolation of infectious xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV). In that study, we used a combination of biological amplification and molecular enhancement techniques to detect XMRV in more than 75% of 101 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Since our report, controversy arose after the publication of several studies that failed to detect XMRV infection in their CFS patient populations. In this addenda, we further detail the multiple detection methods we used in order to observe XMRV infection in our CFS cohort. Our results indicate that PCR from DNA of unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells is the least sensitive method for detection of XMRV in subjects' blood. We advocate the use of more than one type of assay in order to determine the frequency of XMRV infection in patient cohorts in future studies of the relevance of XMRV to human disease.

Source: Virulence

DOI: 10.4161/viru.1.5.12486

Authors: Judy A. Mikovits, Vincent C. Lombardi, Max A. Pfost, Kathryn S. Hagen, Francis W. Ruscetti

Institutions: Whittemore Peterson Institute, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Language: English

Topic: Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,557