Eguchi, Akiko, Fukuda, Sanae, Kuratsune, Hirohiko et al. · Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2020 · DOI
This study found that people with ME/CFS have higher levels of tiny particles called extracellular vesicles in their blood, which contain specific proteins (talin-1 and filamin-A) that appear to be unique markers of the disease. By measuring these particles and proteins in a simple blood test, researchers were able to correctly identify ME/CFS patients about 90-94% of the time, suggesting this could become a useful diagnostic tool.
ME/CFS currently lacks objective diagnostic biomarkers, leading to delayed diagnosis and misclassification. This study offers a potential non-invasive blood test that could enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis and help researchers understand the biological mechanisms underlying the disease. Validated biomarkers could improve patient outcomes and facilitate better clinical trial design.
This study does not establish causation—elevated EVs and these proteins may be consequences of ME/CFS rather than causes. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether these biomarkers persist throughout illness or change over time. It also does not prove these markers are sufficient for diagnosis in all patients or validate the test's performance in routine clinical practice.
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
Eguchi, Akiko, Fukuda, Sanae, Kuratsune, Hirohiko, Nojima, Junzo, Nakatomi, Yasuhito, Watanabe, Yasuyoshi, et al. (2020). Identification of actin network proteins, talin-1 and filamin-A, in circulating extracellular vesicles as blood biomarkers for human myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.. Brain, behavior, and immunity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.015
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-eguchi-2020-identification-actin,
author = {Eguchi, Akiko and Fukuda, Sanae and Kuratsune, Hirohiko and Nojima, Junzo and Nakatomi, Yasuhito and Watanabe, Yasuyoshi and Feldstein, Ariel E},
title = {Identification of actin network proteins, talin-1 and filamin-A, in circulating extracellular vesicles as blood biomarkers for human myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Brain, behavior, and immunity},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.015},
note = {PubMed: 31759091},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/eguchi-2020-identification-actin},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/eguchi-2020-identification-actin
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.