Joncas, J H · Canada diseases weekly report = Rapport hebdomadaire des maladies au Canada · 1991
This study looked at whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus that causes mononucleosis, might be connected to ME/CFS. Researchers compared people with ME/CFS to other groups to see if they had different levels of EBV infection or antibodies. This was one of the early investigations into potential viral causes of ME/CFS.
Early investigations into viral triggers for ME/CFS were critical in establishing the disease's biological basis. Understanding potential EBV associations helped legitimize ME/CFS as an organic illness rather than a purely psychological condition, influencing subsequent research directions.
This study cannot establish that EBV causes ME/CFS, only whether an association exists. Even if EBV antibodies are more common in ME/CFS patients, this could reflect prior infection rather than current causation. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether EBV infection precedes symptom onset.
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
Joncas, J H (1991). Search for an association between Epstein-Barr virus infection and the chronic fatigue syndrome.. Canada diseases weekly report = Rapport hebdomadaire des maladies au Canada. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1669352/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-joncas-1991-search-association,
author = {Joncas, J H},
title = {Search for an association between Epstein-Barr virus infection and the chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Canada diseases weekly report = Rapport hebdomadaire des maladies au Canada},
year = {1991},
note = {PubMed: 1669352},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/joncas-1991-search-association},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/joncas-1991-search-association
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