Espinosa, P, Urra, J M · Molecular neurobiology · 2019 · DOI
Researchers measured levels of a protein called CD57 on immune cells in ME/CFS patients and compared them to healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients had significantly lower amounts of CD57 on their T cells (a type of white blood cell). This difference was large enough that measuring CD57 levels could potentially help doctors diagnose ME/CFS.
ME/CFS currently lacks objective biological markers for diagnosis, making this study important as it identifies a measurable immune abnormality that could support clinical diagnosis. If validated in larger studies, CD57 measurement could provide clinicians with a blood test to objectively confirm ME/CFS, reducing diagnostic delay and improving patient access to appropriate care.
This study does not prove that low CD57 causes ME/CFS or explain the mechanism behind this immune abnormality. As a cross-sectional study, it only shows an association at one time point and cannot establish whether CD57 changes precede, follow, or contribute to disease development. Findings require replication in independent populations before clinical implementation.
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
Espinosa, P & Urra, J M (2019). Decreased Expression of the CD57 Molecule in T Lymphocytes of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Molecular neurobiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-019-1549-7
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-espinosa-2019-decreased-expression,
author = {Espinosa, P and Urra, J M},
title = {Decreased Expression of the CD57 Molecule in T Lymphocytes of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Molecular neurobiology},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1007/s12035-019-1549-7},
note = {PubMed: 30895436},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/espinosa-2019-decreased-expression},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/espinosa-2019-decreased-expression
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.