Balinas, Cassandra, Nguyen, Thao, Johnston, Samantha et al. · Asian Pacific journal of allergy and immunology · 2018 · DOI
This study looked at immune cells called mast cells in people with ME/CFS, comparing them to people with a known mast cell disorder and healthy volunteers. Mast cells help the body fight viruses and allergies. The researchers found differences in how these cells behave when exposed to viral-like substances, suggesting mast cells may play a role in ME/CFS symptoms.
Many ME/CFS patients report viral infection triggers and allergic-type symptoms; understanding mast cell dysfunction could explain these experiences and guide treatment development. This study provides a novel, less invasive method to study immune dysfunction in ME/CFS, potentially enabling future large-scale investigations.
This pilot study does not prove that mast cell dysfunction causes ME/CFS symptoms, nor does it establish the clinical significance of the observed molecular differences. The small sample size and lack of longitudinal follow-up mean findings may not represent the broader ME/CFS population or predict disease progression.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Balinas, Cassandra, Nguyen, Thao, Johnston, Samantha, Smith, Peter, Staines, Donald, & Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya (2018). Investigation of mast cell toll-like receptor 3 in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Systemic Mastocytosis using the novel application of autoMACS magnetic separation and flow cytometry.. Asian Pacific journal of allergy and immunology. https://doi.org/10.12932/AP-200517-0086
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-balinas-2018-investigation-mast,
author = {Balinas, Cassandra and Nguyen, Thao and Johnston, Samantha and Smith, Peter and Staines, Donald and Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya},
title = {Investigation of mast cell toll-like receptor 3 in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Systemic Mastocytosis using the novel application of autoMACS magnetic separation and flow cytometry.},
journal = {Asian Pacific journal of allergy and immunology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.12932/AP-200517-0086},
note = {PubMed: 29223146},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/balinas-2018-investigation-mast},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/balinas-2018-investigation-mast
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