Ottenweller, J E, Natelson, B H, Gause, W C et al. · Physiology & behavior · 1998 · DOI
Researchers infected mice with a killed bacterium to see if it would create a model similar to ME/CFS. The mice immediately stopped running and grooming after infection, then slowly recovered over 2-4 weeks—though some mice recovered faster than others. Interestingly, during recovery, the mice could only run for short periods at first before becoming exhausted, gradually building up their endurance over time.
This study establishes a potential animal model for investigating the biological mechanisms underlying post-infectious fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance in ME/CFS. Understanding how infection triggers and sustains fatigue at a physiological level could ultimately inform treatment strategies. The observation that gradual exercise capacity recovery mirrors human ME/CFS patterns may enable researchers to test interventions in a living system.
This study does not prove that Brucella infection causes ME/CFS in humans, nor does it establish that the mechanisms in mice directly translate to human disease pathology. The model demonstrates behavioral fatigue following infection but does not identify the underlying biological cause of post-infectious fatigue. Additionally, findings in highly controlled laboratory mice may not generalize to the complex, heterogeneous presentation of ME/CFS 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
Ottenweller, J E, Natelson, B H, Gause, W C, Carroll, K K, Beldowicz, D, Zhou, X D, et al. (1998). Mouse running activity is lowered by Brucella abortus treatment: a potential model to study chronic fatigue.. Physiology & behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0031-9384(97)00539-8
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ottenweller-1998-mouse-running,
author = {Ottenweller, J E and Natelson, B H and Gause, W C and Carroll, K K and Beldowicz, D and Zhou, X D and LaManca, J J},
title = {Mouse running activity is lowered by Brucella abortus treatment: a potential model to study chronic fatigue.},
journal = {Physiology & behavior},
year = {1998},
doi = {10.1016/s0031-9384(97)00539-8},
note = {PubMed: 9618001},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ottenweller-1998-mouse-running},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ottenweller-1998-mouse-running
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