Korn, K, Reil, H, Ensser, A et al. · Infection · 2012 · DOI
Researchers tested blood samples from 542 people in Germany—including those with weakened immune systems and people living with HIV—to see if they carried a virus called XMRV that had been suggested as a possible cause of ME/CFS. None of the 814 blood samples tested positive for XMRV, suggesting this virus is not present in these high-risk groups in Germany.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS because XMRV was initially proposed as a potential cause of the disease, raising concerns about transmission through blood transfusions. By systematically testing high-risk populations who would be most likely to harbor such a virus, the study helps clarify whether XMRV is actually a human pathogen, informing the scientific understanding of ME/CFS etiology.
This study does not prove that XMRV is not associated with ME/CFS globally—it only shows absence of XMRV in a German cohort at one point in time. The absence of XMRV in these samples does not explain the underlying cause of ME/CFS or rule out other infectious or non-infectious mechanisms. A negative finding in immunocompromised patients does not definitively establish whether XMRV might be present in CFS patients specifically.
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
Korn, K, Reil, H, Ensser, A, & Knöll, A (2012). No evidence of XMRV infection in immunocompromised patients and HIV-positive individuals from Germany.. Infection. https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-012-0249-2
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-korn-2012-evidence-xmrv,
author = {Korn, K and Reil, H and Ensser, A and Knöll, A},
title = {No evidence of XMRV infection in immunocompromised patients and HIV-positive individuals from Germany.},
journal = {Infection},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1007/s15010-012-0249-2},
note = {PubMed: 22350961},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/korn-2012-evidence-xmrv},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/korn-2012-evidence-xmrv
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