Martin, W J · Pathobiology : journal of immunopathology, molecular and cellular biology · 1998 · DOI
Researchers found that a virus called a stealth virus, isolated from ME/CFS patients, contains genetic material that closely matches sequences found in human cells. When they tested samples from four different ME/CFS patients, they found variations in the virus's genetic code, suggesting these viruses may be genetically unstable. This discovery raises questions about whether these viruses might be involved in ME/CFS and how they exchange genetic information with human cells.
If stealth viruses are present in ME/CFS patients and capable of exchanging genetic material with human cells, this could provide insight into disease mechanisms. Understanding how these viruses persist and evolve might inform new diagnostic approaches or therapeutic targets for ME/CFS.
This study does not establish that stealth viruses cause ME/CFS or that sequence homology between viral and cellular DNA is pathologically significant. The presence of viral sequences in CFS patients does not prove causation, and without healthy controls and longitudinal follow-up, it remains unclear whether stealth viruses are specific to ME/CFS or play a direct role in disease pathogenesis.
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
Martin, W J (1998). Cellular sequences in stealth viruses.. Pathobiology : journal of immunopathology, molecular and cellular biology. https://doi.org/10.1159/000027996
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-martin-1998-cellular-sequences,
author = {Martin, W J},
title = {Cellular sequences in stealth viruses.},
journal = {Pathobiology : journal of immunopathology, molecular and cellular biology},
year = {1998},
doi = {10.1159/000027996},
note = {PubMed: 9645627},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/martin-1998-cellular-sequences},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/martin-1998-cellular-sequences
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