Chia, J K S · Journal of clinical pathology · 2005 · DOI
This review examines whether enteroviruses—common viruses that cause respiratory and stomach infections—might play a role in ME/CFS. Researchers found that these viruses can sometimes persist in the body long-term and produce symptoms similar to ME/CFS. Laboratory and animal studies showed that viral RNA (genetic material) can remain in muscles and cause ongoing inflammation, which matches what has been seen in tissue samples from ME/CFS patients.
This work reopens investigation into enterovirus as a potential ME/CFS mechanism after a decade of neglect, bridging basic viral biology with clinical symptomatology. If enteroviral persistence is confirmed in ME/CFS, it could eventually lead to diagnostic tests and antiviral treatment strategies for patients currently lacking biological markers or targeted therapies.
This review does not establish that enterovirus causes all cases of ME/CFS or even that it is the primary cause in affected patients. It demonstrates a plausible mechanism and some supportive evidence, but does not prove that viral persistence is necessary or sufficient for disease development, nor does it rule out other contributing factors.
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
Chia, J K S (2005). The role of enterovirus in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of clinical pathology. https://doi.org/10.1136/jcp.2004.020255
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-chia-2005-role-enterovirus,
author = {Chia, J K S},
title = {The role of enterovirus in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of clinical pathology},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1136/jcp.2004.020255},
note = {PubMed: 16254097},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chia-2005-role-enterovirus},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chia-2005-role-enterovirus
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