Guenther, Sabrina, Loebel, Madlen, Mooslechner, Agnes A et al. · Human immunology · 2015 · DOI
This study looked at immune system proteins called antibodies and a molecule called mannose binding lectin (MBL) in 300 people with ME/CFS. The researchers found that about 25% of patients had lower-than-normal levels of certain antibodies, while another 25% had higher-than-normal levels. Additionally, 15% had low MBL levels, compared to only 6% in healthy people. These immune defects were connected to frequent respiratory infections in ME/CFS patients.
Understanding immune defects in ME/CFS may explain why many patients experience recurrent infections and could guide targeted immune therapies. This work provides objective biological markers that support the infectious triggers reported by many ME/CFS patients and opens avenues for personalized treatment approaches based on individual immune profiles.
This study does not establish causation—whether immune defects cause ME/CFS or result from it. The cross-sectional design cannot determine if these immune abnormalities are primary drivers of disease or secondary effects. It also does not prove that correcting these defects would improve ME/CFS symptoms or outcomes.
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
Guenther, Sabrina, Loebel, Madlen, Mooslechner, Agnes A, Knops, Michael, Hanitsch, Leif G, Grabowski, Patricia, et al. (2015). Frequent IgG subclass and mannose binding lectin deficiency in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Human immunology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humimm.2015.09.028
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-guenther-2015-frequent-igg,
author = {Guenther, Sabrina and Loebel, Madlen and Mooslechner, Agnes A and Knops, Michael and Hanitsch, Leif G and Grabowski, Patricia and Wittke, Kirsten and Meisel, Christian and Unterwalder, Nadine and Volk, Hans-Dieter and Scheibenbogen, Carmen},
title = {Frequent IgG subclass and mannose binding lectin deficiency in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Human immunology},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1016/j.humimm.2015.09.028},
note = {PubMed: 26429318},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/guenther-2015-frequent-igg},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/guenther-2015-frequent-igg
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