Makarova, Natalia, Zhao, Chunxia, Zhang, Yuanyuan et al. · PloS one · 2011 · DOI
Researchers created a vaccine to test whether the body can develop antibodies (immune proteins) against XMRV, a virus that was proposed to be associated with ME/CFS. Mice given the vaccine did produce antibodies against the virus, but these antibodies disappeared quickly—within three weeks. This short-lived immune response might help explain why different studies have found different rates of XMRV in ME/CFS patients.
Understanding whether the immune system can effectively respond to XMRV is crucial for determining if this virus plays a role in ME/CFS and whether vaccines or treatments might be developed. The finding that antibodies wane rapidly may help explain conflicting research results about XMRV prevalence in patient populations, which has been a major point of controversy in ME/CFS research.
This mouse study does not prove that humans naturally infected with XMRV develop similarly short-lived antibodies, nor does it establish that XMRV actually causes ME/CFS. The study also does not demonstrate what happens in chronic XMRV infection or whether short antibody persistence affects long-term viral control in humans.
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
Makarova, Natalia, Zhao, Chunxia, Zhang, Yuanyuan, Bhosle, Sushma, Suppiah, Suganthi, Rhea, Jeanne M, et al. (2011). Antibody responses against xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus envelope in a murine model.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0018272
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-makarova-2011-antibody-responses,
author = {Makarova, Natalia and Zhao, Chunxia and Zhang, Yuanyuan and Bhosle, Sushma and Suppiah, Suganthi and Rhea, Jeanne M and Kozyr, Natalia and Arnold, Rebecca S and Ly, Hinh and Molinaro, Ross J and Parslow, Tristram G and Hunter, Eric and Liotta, Dennis and Petros, John and Blackwell, Jerry L},
title = {Antibody responses against xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus envelope in a murine model.},
journal = {PloS one},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0018272},
note = {PubMed: 21494670},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/makarova-2011-antibody-responses},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/makarova-2011-antibody-responses
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