Raijmakers, Ruud P H, Koeken, Valerie A C M, Jansen, Anne F M et al. · The Journal of infection · 2019 · DOI
This study looked at inflammatory markers in people who developed prolonged fatigue after Q fever infection. Researchers compared blood samples from patients with Q fever fatigue syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome patients, people who had Q fever but recovered, and healthy controls. They found that Q fever fatigue syndrome patients had higher levels of specific inflammation proteins, suggesting chronic inflammation may be driving their ongoing fatigue.
Q fever fatigue syndrome shares clinical similarities with ME/CFS, and identifying specific inflammatory pathways in QFS may illuminate potential mechanisms in ME/CFS patients. Understanding whether chronic infection-triggered cytokine dysregulation contributes to post-infectious fatigue states could inform future therapeutic targets for both conditions.
This study does not prove that elevated cytokines *cause* fatigue, only that they are associated with QFS. The cross-sectional design cannot establish temporal relationships or whether cytokine elevation is a cause or consequence of the prolonged fatigue state. It also does not determine whether similar mechanisms apply to ME/CFS from other etiologies.
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
Raijmakers, Ruud P H, Koeken, Valerie A C M, Jansen, Anne F M, Keijmel, Stephan P, Roerink, Megan E, Joosten, Leo A B, et al. (2019). Cytokine profiles in patients with Q fever fatigue syndrome.. The Journal of infection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2019.01.006
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-raijmakers-2019-cytokine-profiles,
author = {Raijmakers, Ruud P H and Koeken, Valerie A C M and Jansen, Anne F M and Keijmel, Stephan P and Roerink, Megan E and Joosten, Leo A B and Netea, Mihai G and van der Meer, Jos W M and Bleeker-Rovers, Chantal P},
title = {Cytokine profiles in patients with Q fever fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {The Journal of infection},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1016/j.jinf.2019.01.006},
note = {PubMed: 30684502},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/raijmakers-2019-cytokine-profiles},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/raijmakers-2019-cytokine-profiles
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