Berneman, Z N, Ablashi, D V, Li, G et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 1992 · DOI
Researchers isolated a virus called HHV-7 from a patient with ME/CFS and studied how it infects cells. They found that HHV-7 is related to another herpesvirus (HHV-6) but is genetically different enough to be classified as its own distinct virus. However, the study found no clear link between HHV-7 and ME/CFS in the general population.
This work contributed to understanding human herpesviruses potentially involved in ME/CFS by characterizing a new viral agent and its properties. The development of specific molecular markers and PCR primers for HHV-7 provided tools for future epidemiological and mechanistic research. Clarifying the relationship between HHV-7 and ME/CFS remains relevant to viral etiology theories of the disease.
This study does not prove that HHV-7 causes ME/CFS; serological data showed no significant association between the virus and disease in the tested population. The isolation of HHV-7 from one patient is insufficient to establish causality without further epidemiological evidence. The study does not demonstrate whether HHV-7 infection is common in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls.
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
Berneman, Z N, Ablashi, D V, Li, G, Eger-Fletcher, M, Reitz, M S, Hung, C L, et al. (1992). Human herpesvirus 7 is a T-lymphotropic virus and is related to, but significantly different from, human herpesvirus 6 and human cytomegalovirus.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.89.21.10552
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-berneman-1992-human-herpesvirus,
author = {Berneman, Z N and Ablashi, D V and Li, G and Eger-Fletcher, M and Reitz, M S and Hung, C L and Brus, I and Komaroff, A L and Gallo, R C},
title = {Human herpesvirus 7 is a T-lymphotropic virus and is related to, but significantly different from, human herpesvirus 6 and human cytomegalovirus.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {1992},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.89.21.10552},
note = {PubMed: 1332051},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/berneman-1992-human-herpesvirus},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/berneman-1992-human-herpesvirus
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