Galbraith, D N, Nairn, C, Clements, G B · The Journal of general virology · 1997 · DOI
Researchers tested blood samples from 8 people with ME/CFS and found traces of enterovirus (a type of virus) in samples taken at least 5 months apart. In 4 of these individuals, the virus appeared to be the same virus persisting in their body over time, rather than a new infection. This suggests that some people with ME/CFS may have viruses that linger in their system rather than being cleared completely.
This research provides potential molecular evidence that some ME/CFS patients may harbor persistent enteroviral infections rather than experiencing only acute viral illness followed by recovery. Understanding whether enteroviral persistence contributes to ME/CFS pathophysiology could inform future treatment strategies and help explain why symptoms persist in some patients.
This study does not prove that enteroviral persistence causes ME/CFS, as it lacks a control group of healthy individuals or symptomatic non-CFS patients for comparison. Detecting viral sequences does not establish that the virus is actively replicating or causing ongoing symptoms. The small sample size (n=8) limits generalizability to the broader ME/CFS population.
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
Galbraith, D N, Nairn, C, & Clements, G B (1997). Evidence for enteroviral persistence in humans.. The Journal of general virology. https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-78-2-307
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-galbraith-1997-evidence-enteroviral,
author = {Galbraith, D N and Nairn, C and Clements, G B},
title = {Evidence for enteroviral persistence in humans.},
journal = {The Journal of general virology},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1099/0022-1317-78-2-307},
note = {PubMed: 9018051},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/galbraith-1997-evidence-enteroviral},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/galbraith-1997-evidence-enteroviral
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.