Hanevik, Kurt, Kristoffersen, Einar, Mørch, Kristine et al. · BMC immunology · 2017 · DOI
Researchers studied whether people who developed ME/CFS after a Giardia infection (a parasite that causes stomach illness) had different immune responses compared to those who recovered. They found that fatigued patients had higher levels of a specific immune protein called sCD40L, which correlated with how tired they felt. However, most immune markers tested were similar between those who developed ME/CFS and those who recovered, suggesting the answer may be more complex than initially expected.
This study addresses a critical gap in understanding whether post-infectious ME/CFS has a distinct immune signature related to the original pathogen. The identification of sCD40L as a potential biomarker linked to fatigue severity could have diagnostic and therapeutic implications, and helps explain why some people develop chronic fatigue after infections while others recover.
This study does not establish that sCD40L directly causes ME/CFS or that Giardia-specific immunity is the primary driver of post-infectious chronic fatigue. The correlational nature of the findings means sCD40L elevation may be a consequence rather than a cause of fatigue, and results cannot determine whether this mechanism applies to ME/CFS triggered by other pathogens.
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
Hanevik, Kurt, Kristoffersen, Einar, Mørch, Kristine, Rye, Kristin Paulsen, Sørnes, Steinar, Svärd, Staffan, et al. (2017). Giardia-specific cellular immune responses in post-giardiasis chronic fatigue syndrome.. BMC immunology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12865-017-0190-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-hanevik-2017-giardia-specific,
author = {Hanevik, Kurt and Kristoffersen, Einar and Mørch, Kristine and Rye, Kristin Paulsen and Sørnes, Steinar and Svärd, Staffan and Bruserud, Øystein and Langeland, Nina},
title = {Giardia-specific cellular immune responses in post-giardiasis chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {BMC immunology},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1186/s12865-017-0190-3},
note = {PubMed: 28129747},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hanevik-2017-giardia-specific},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hanevik-2017-giardia-specific
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