Brunet, J L, Fatoohi, F, Liaudet, A Perret et al. · Allergie et immunologie · 2002
This study investigated whether ME/CFS patients have exaggerated immune reactions to common fungi and bacteria that normally live on or around our bodies. Researchers tested this by placing small amounts of Candida (a common yeast) under the skin and watching for delayed reactions. They found that about half of ME/CFS patients showed these heightened reactions, and they developed methods to measure immune cell activation in the lab that matched what they saw on the skin.
This work identifies a potential biological marker—abnormal immune hypersensitivity—that could help subgroup ME/CFS patients and guide targeted immunological research. The methodological approach combining skin testing, flow cytometry, and neopterin measurement offers a standardized framework for evaluating immune dysregulation in this population.
This study does not establish that delayed-type hypersensitivity causes ME/CFS fatigue, only that the two occur together in some patients. It does not prove the finding applies to all ME/CFS patients, since only ~50% showed this response. The cross-sectional design prevents determination of whether immune dysregulation precedes symptom onset or develops as a consequence of illness.
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
Brunet, J L, Fatoohi, F, Liaudet, A Perret, & Cozon, G J N (2002). [Role of pathological delayed-type hypersensitivity in chronic fatigue syndrome: importance of the evaluation of lymphocyte activation by flow cytometry and the measurement of urinary neopterin].. Allergie et immunologie. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11933752/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-brunet-2002-role-pathological,
author = {Brunet, J L and Fatoohi, F and Liaudet, A Perret and Cozon, G J N},
title = {[Role of pathological delayed-type hypersensitivity in chronic fatigue syndrome: importance of the evaluation of lymphocyte activation by flow cytometry and the measurement of urinary neopterin].},
journal = {Allergie et immunologie},
year = {2002},
note = {PubMed: 11933752},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brunet-2002-role-pathological},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brunet-2002-role-pathological
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