Fischer, Nicole, Schulz, Claudia, Stieler, Kristin et al. · Emerging infectious diseases · 2010 · DOI
Researchers looked for a virus called XMRV in respiratory samples (like saliva or mucus) from healthy and immunocompromised people. They found viral traces in a small percentage of healthy people (2-3%) and a higher percentage of immunocompromised people (10%). This study was one of several investigating whether XMRV might be linked to ME/CFS, though the findings were modest.
During the 2010 period when XMRV was under investigation as a potential ME/CFS trigger, this study contributed evidence that the virus could be detected in respiratory secretions, raising questions about viral transmission and disease mechanisms. Understanding whether XMRV is truly associated with ME/CFS could help explain infectious triggers and inform diagnostic and treatment approaches.
This study does not establish causation—detecting viral sequences does not prove XMRV causes ME/CFS or respiratory disease. The cross-sectional design cannot determine temporal relationships or whether XMRV presence correlates with ME/CFS symptoms. The modest detection rates and lack of clinical outcome data limit conclusions about disease relevance.
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
Fischer, Nicole, Schulz, Claudia, Stieler, Kristin, Hohn, Oliver, Lange, Christoph, Drosten, Christian, et al. (2010). Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related gammaretrovirus in respiratory tract.. Emerging infectious diseases. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1606.100066
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-fischer-2010-xenotropic-murine,
author = {Fischer, Nicole and Schulz, Claudia and Stieler, Kristin and Hohn, Oliver and Lange, Christoph and Drosten, Christian and Aepfelbacher, Martin},
title = {Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related gammaretrovirus in respiratory tract.},
journal = {Emerging infectious diseases},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.3201/eid1606.100066},
note = {PubMed: 20507757},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fischer-2010-xenotropic-murine},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fischer-2010-xenotropic-murine
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