Morris, Gerwyn, Berk, Michael, Carvalho, André F et al. · Current pharmaceutical design · 2016 · DOI
This review explores how problems with the gut barrier and changes in gut bacteria may trigger widespread immune activation and brain inflammation in ME/CFS and other autoimmune diseases. When the intestinal lining becomes more permeable (leaky), bacteria and their products can enter the bloodstream, potentially causing the fatigue, brain fog, and other symptoms characteristic of ME/CFS.
This work provides a unifying biological hypothesis for ME/CFS pathophysiology, linking gastrointestinal dysfunction to both systemic immune dysregulation and neurological symptoms. For researchers, it synthesizes evidence suggesting gut-targeted interventions and intestinal permeability measurements may be relevant biomarkers and therapeutic targets in ME/CFS.
This review does not provide experimental evidence that intestinal permeability or dysbiosis causes ME/CFS—it is a mechanistic hypothesis based on synthesis of existing literature. The study does not establish causation, distinguish whether gut changes are primary or secondary to ME/CFS, or provide clinical outcome data validating proposed mechanisms in ME/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
Morris, Gerwyn, Berk, Michael, Carvalho, André F, Caso, Javier R, Sanz, Yolanda, & Maes, Michael (2016). The Role of Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in the Pathophysiology of Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Processes with an Emphasis on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Current pharmaceutical design. https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612822666160914182822
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-morris-2016-role-microbiota,
author = {Morris, Gerwyn and Berk, Michael and Carvalho, André F and Caso, Javier R and Sanz, Yolanda and Maes, Michael},
title = {The Role of Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in the Pathophysiology of Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Processes with an Emphasis on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Current pharmaceutical design},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.2174/1381612822666160914182822},
note = {PubMed: 27634186},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/morris-2016-role-microbiota},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/morris-2016-role-microbiota
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.