Lerner, A M, Zervos, M, Chang, C H et al. · Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2001 · DOI
This study tested whether antiviral medications could help people with ME/CFS, since some researchers suspected a viral infection might be causing the illness. A small group of patients received either an antiviral drug or a placebo (inactive pill) to see if the medication improved their symptoms. This was one of the early attempts to test whether treating a possible underlying virus could help ME/CFS patients feel better.
This study represents an important early investigation into whether ME/CFS might be caused or perpetuated by viral infection, a question that remains relevant today. Testing antiviral approaches could potentially identify new treatment options for patients who currently have few evidence-based therapies available.
This study does not establish that ME/CFS is definitively caused by a virus, nor does it prove that antiviral therapy is an effective treatment for all ME/CFS patients. The small sample size means results may not apply broadly to the entire ME/CFS population. A single trial, even if positive, requires replication before changing clinical practice.
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
Lerner, A M, Zervos, M, Chang, C H, Beqaj, S, Goldstein, J, O'Neill, W, et al. (2001). A small, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the use of antiviral therapy for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1086/320530
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lerner-2001-small-randomized,
author = {Lerner, A M and Zervos, M and Chang, C H and Beqaj, S and Goldstein, J and O'Neill, W and Dworkin, H and Fitgerald, T and Deeter, R G},
title = {A small, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the use of antiviral therapy for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1086/320530},
note = {PubMed: 11340544},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lerner-2001-small-randomized},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lerner-2001-small-randomized
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