McCartney, R A, Banatvala, J E, Bell, E J · Journal of medical virology · 1986 · DOI
This study tested a new blood test (mu-antibody-capture ELISA) to detect recent Coxsackie B virus infections by looking for IgM antibodies, which indicate fresh infection. Researchers tested 760 patients with various conditions including chest pain, heart inflammation, and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), plus 304 healthy controls, and found that this IgM test could reliably identify recent Coxsackie B infections without the confusion caused by old antibodies from past infections.
ME/CFS patients and researchers have long sought reliable diagnostic methods to identify viral triggers of illness, particularly enterovirus infections. This study established a practical, reproducible laboratory approach to distinguish recent Coxsackie B infections from past exposure, potentially enabling better characterisation of the role these viruses play in ME/CFS and related post-viral conditions.
This study does not prove that Coxsackie B virus causes ME/CFS—it only develops a diagnostic tool and observes associations. The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causality, temporal relationships, or whether CBV infection is a trigger, cofactor, or incidental finding in ME/CFS patients. The relatively modest elevation of CBV IgM in ME/CFS patients (31%) compared to controls (9%) suggests infection frequency but does not demonstrate pathogenic significance.
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
McCartney, R A, Banatvala, J E, & Bell, E J (1986). Routine use of mu-antibody-capture ELISA for the serological diagnosis of Coxsackie B virus infections.. Journal of medical virology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.1890190302
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-mccartney-1986-routine-use,
author = {McCartney, R A and Banatvala, J E and Bell, E J},
title = {Routine use of mu-antibody-capture ELISA for the serological diagnosis of Coxsackie B virus infections.},
journal = {Journal of medical virology},
year = {1986},
doi = {10.1002/jmv.1890190302},
note = {PubMed: 3016163},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mccartney-1986-routine-use},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mccartney-1986-routine-use
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