Jerome, Keith R, Diem, Kurt, Huang, Meei-Li et al. · Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease · 2011 · DOI
Researchers tested whether a virus called XMRV was present in people with ME/CFS by comparing identical twins where one had the illness and one didn't. They looked for the virus in blood samples using multiple sensitive tests. They found no evidence of XMRV in any of the people with ME/CFS, suggesting this virus is not likely a cause of the disease.
Earlier reports suggesting XMRV involvement in ME/CFS raised hope that antiretroviral treatments might help patients. This study's negative findings cast doubt on that hypothesis and demonstrate the importance of rigorous validation before pursuing treatment implications based on initial viral association reports.
This study does not exclude other viral pathogens from potential involvement in ME/CFS, nor does it rule out XMRV in other patient populations or tissue types not tested. A single negative study cannot definitively rule out viral associations, and subsequent research has since questioned the validity of XMRV detection methods themselves.
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 →
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