Ramadan, Donia Jamal, Kichula, Katherine M, Tao, Sudan et al. · Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2025 · DOI
This study examined specific genetic variations in natural killer (NK) cells—immune cells that help fight infections—in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers found that certain genetic variants were more common in ME/CFS patients while others were less common, suggesting that differences in how NK cells are regulated may play a role in ME/CFS. This supports the idea that immune system dysfunction is involved in the condition.
This study strengthens evidence that natural killer cell dysfunction is involved in ME/CFS by identifying specific genetic variants associated with the disease. Understanding the genetic basis of immune dysregulation in ME/CFS could lead to new diagnostic biomarkers and targeted treatments aimed at correcting NK cell function.
This study shows association, not causation—having these genetic variants does not definitively cause ME/CFS, as genetic predisposition alone may not be sufficient without environmental triggers. The findings cannot yet explain how these genetic differences translate to altered NK cell function in disease. Results are from a Norwegian population and may not generalize to all geographic populations.
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
Ramadan, Donia Jamal, Kichula, Katherine M, Tao, Sudan, Porfilio, Timothy, Lande, Asgeir, Fluge, Øystein, et al. (2025). Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) alleles suggested to be associated with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).. Brain, behavior, and immunity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2025.106098
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ramadan-2025-killer-cell,
author = {Ramadan, Donia Jamal and Kichula, Katherine M and Tao, Sudan and Porfilio, Timothy and Lande, Asgeir and Fluge, Øystein and Mella, Olav and Strand, Elin Bolle and Saugstad, Ola Didrik and Norman, Paul J and Lie, Benedicte A and Viken, Marte K},
title = {Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) alleles suggested to be associated with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).},
journal = {Brain, behavior, and immunity},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbi.2025.106098},
note = {PubMed: 40897283},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ramadan-2025-killer-cell},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ramadan-2025-killer-cell
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.