Kerr, Jonathan R, Gough, John, Richards, Selwyn C M et al. · The Journal of general virology · 2010 · DOI
This study looked at whether parvovirus B19 (a common virus) plays a role in ME/CFS, particularly in patients with joint pain. While ME/CFS patients and healthy people had similar rates of past B19 infection, researchers found that ME/CFS patients were much more likely to have specific antibodies suggesting the virus wasn't being cleared properly from their body. Interestingly, patients with these antibodies were more likely to report chronic joint pain.
This research provides evidence that a subset of ME/CFS patients may have persistent parvovirus B19 infection that their immune systems cannot fully clear, which could contribute to ongoing symptoms like joint pain. Understanding viral persistence in ME/CFS could lead to better diagnostic testing and potentially targeted treatment approaches for patients with this subtype.
This study does not prove that parvovirus B19 causes ME/CFS, only that some ME/CFS patients have markers of persistent or poorly controlled B19 infection. The presence of these antibodies and viral DNA may be a consequence of ME/CFS-related immune dysfunction rather than the cause. The study cannot determine whether treating B19 infection would improve ME/CFS symptoms.
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
Kerr, Jonathan R, Gough, John, Richards, Selwyn C M, Main, Janice, Enlander, Derek, McCreary, Michelle, et al. (2010). Antibody to parvovirus B19 nonstructural protein is associated with chronic arthralgia in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.. The Journal of general virology. https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.017590-0
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kerr-2010-antibody-parvovirus,
author = {Kerr, Jonathan R and Gough, John and Richards, Selwyn C M and Main, Janice and Enlander, Derek and McCreary, Michelle and Komaroff, Anthony L and Chia, John K},
title = {Antibody to parvovirus B19 nonstructural protein is associated with chronic arthralgia in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {The Journal of general virology},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1099/vir.0.017590-0},
note = {PubMed: 20007355},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kerr-2010-antibody-parvovirus},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kerr-2010-antibody-parvovirus
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.