Henrich, Timothy J, Li, Jonathan Z, Felsenstein, Donna et al. · The Journal of infectious diseases · 2010 · DOI
Researchers tested whether a virus called XMRV was present in people with ME/CFS and other conditions affecting the immune system. They collected samples from 293 patients, including 32 with ME/CFS, and looked for XMRV DNA. They found no evidence of this virus in any of the samples tested.
This study addressed early speculation about whether XMRV might be a pathogenic agent in ME/CFS. Given the substantial patient burden of unexplained ME/CFS and the search for infectious etiologies, ruling out specific viral candidates helps focus research toward more likely causes and prevents investment in unproductive treatment pathways.
This study does not prove that XMRV is not involved in ME/CFS globally—the findings are specific to this Boston population and may not apply to other geographic regions. Absence of XMRV DNA does not exclude other potential viral agents or the possibility of XMRV in a different form. The study also cannot determine causation even if an association had been found.
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
Henrich, Timothy J, Li, Jonathan Z, Felsenstein, Donna, Kotton, Camille N, Plenge, Robert M, Pereyra, Florencia, et al. (2010). Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus prevalence in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or chronic immunomodulatory conditions.. The Journal of infectious diseases. https://doi.org/10.1086/657168
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-henrich-2010-xenotropic-murine,
author = {Henrich, Timothy J and Li, Jonathan Z and Felsenstein, Donna and Kotton, Camille N and Plenge, Robert M and Pereyra, Florencia and Marty, Francisco M and Lin, Nina H and Grazioso, Paul and Crochiere, Danielle M and Eggers, Daniel and Kuritzkes, Daniel R and Tsibris, Athe M N},
title = {Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus prevalence in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or chronic immunomodulatory conditions.},
journal = {The Journal of infectious diseases},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1086/657168},
note = {PubMed: 20936980},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/henrich-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/henrich-2010-xenotropic-murine
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