Kerr, Jonathan R · Frontiers in pediatrics · 2019 · DOI
This study found that about 38-55% of ME/CFS patients have higher levels of a specific gene called EBI2 turned on in their immune cells. Patients with this EBI2 pattern appear to have more severe symptoms and different antibody levels compared to other ME/CFS patients. Because EBI2 is known to affect both immune function and brain function, finding this subtype could help explain why ME/CFS patients experience such different symptoms and may lead to new treatments.
This research provides objective molecular criteria to identify a subset of ME/CFS patients, potentially enabling better patient stratification for clinical trials and personalized treatment approaches. The identification of EBI2 as a key dysregulated gene links viral infection (EBV) to immune and neurological dysfunction in ME/CFS, suggesting a mechanistic pathway that could be therapeutically targeted with existing drug candidates.
This study does not establish that EBI2 upregulation causes severe ME/CFS or that EBV directly triggers this gene expression pattern in all cases—it demonstrates correlation in a subgroup. The findings do not prove that EBI2 antagonists will be effective in treating patients with this subtype, only that they warrant investigation. The study does not determine whether EBI2 upregulation is a primary driver or a secondary consequence of disease processes.
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 (2019). Epstein-Barr Virus Induced Gene-2 Upregulation Identifies a Particular Subtype of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.. Frontiers in pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2019.00059
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kerr-2019-epstein-barr,
author = {Kerr, Jonathan R},
title = {Epstein-Barr Virus Induced Gene-2 Upregulation Identifies a Particular Subtype of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {Frontiers in pediatrics},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.3389/fped.2019.00059},
note = {PubMed: 30918887},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kerr-2019-epstein-barr},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kerr-2019-epstein-barr
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