Hsieh, Shen-Yuan, Savva, George M, Telatin, Andrea et al. · International journal of molecular sciences · 2023 · DOI
This study looked at viruses living in the gut of people with severe ME/CFS and compared them to healthy people. The researchers found that people with ME/CFS have different types and amounts of viruses in their intestines, and they identified specific viruses that might interact with gut bacteria in ways that could be linked to the disease. This research provides a starting point for understanding whether these intestinal viruses might play a role in ME/CFS.
The intestinal microbiome is increasingly recognized as potentially important in ME/CFS pathology, but the viral component has been understudied. This work provides a foundational map of disease-associated viruses and potential virus-bacteria interactions, opening new avenues for understanding whether and how the virome contributes to ME/CFS symptoms. Identifying these mechanisms could eventually inform new diagnostic or therapeutic approaches.
This study does not prove that the identified viruses cause ME/CFS or directly produce symptoms. The predicted virus-host interactions are computational predictions, not experimentally validated interactions. The small sample size means findings may not represent the broader ME/CFS population, and correlation between virome differences and disease does not establish causation.
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
Hsieh, Shen-Yuan, Savva, George M, Telatin, Andrea, Tiwari, Sumeet K, Tariq, Mohammad A, Newberry, Fiona, et al. (2023). Investigating the Human Intestinal DNA Virome and Predicting Disease-Associated Virus-Host Interactions in Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417267
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-hsieh-2023-investigating-human,
author = {Hsieh, Shen-Yuan and Savva, George M and Telatin, Andrea and Tiwari, Sumeet K and Tariq, Mohammad A and Newberry, Fiona and Seton, Katharine A and Booth, Catherine and Bansal, Amolak S and Wileman, Thomas and Adriaenssens, Evelien M and Carding, Simon R},
title = {Investigating the Human Intestinal DNA Virome and Predicting Disease-Associated Virus-Host Interactions in Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3390/ijms242417267},
note = {PubMed: 38139096},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hsieh-2023-investigating-human},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hsieh-2023-investigating-human
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