Rasa-Dzelzkaleja, Santa, Krumina, Angelika, Capenko, Svetlana et al. · Journal of translational medicine · 2023 · DOI
This study examined whether three common viruses—HHV-6, HHV-7, and parvovirus B19—play a role in ME/CFS by comparing 200 ME/CFS patients with 150 healthy people. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients were much more likely to have these viruses in an active state (replicating) rather than dormant, and those with active infections had higher levels of inflammatory markers. The severity of ME/CFS symptoms appeared linked to the presence and activity level of these viral infections.
Understanding the role of persistent viral infections in ME/CFS could explain the immune dysfunction observed in many patients and may eventually guide treatment strategies targeting viral reactivation. This research provides biological evidence supporting the hypothesis that ME/CFS has an infectious component, validating patient experiences of post-viral illness onset.
This study does not prove these viruses cause ME/CFS—finding an association is not the same as proving causation. The presence of active infections in some healthy individuals suggests these viruses alone are insufficient to develop ME/CFS, meaning other factors (genetic, immunological, or environmental) likely contribute. Additionally, cross-sectional design prevents determining whether viral reactivation triggers ME/CFS or whether ME/CFS itself causes viral reactivation.
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
Rasa-Dzelzkaleja, Santa, Krumina, Angelika, Capenko, Svetlana, Nora-Krukle, Zaiga, Gravelsina, Sabine, Vilmane, Anda, et al. (2023). The persistent viral infections in the development and severity of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-023-03887-0
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rasa-dzelzkaleja-2023-persistent-viral,
author = {Rasa-Dzelzkaleja, Santa and Krumina, Angelika and Capenko, Svetlana and Nora-Krukle, Zaiga and Gravelsina, Sabine and Vilmane, Anda and Ievina, Lauma and Shoenfeld, Yehuda and Murovska, Modra and VirA project},
title = {The persistent viral infections in the development and severity of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of translational medicine},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1186/s12967-023-03887-0},
note = {PubMed: 36653846},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rasa-dzelzkaleja-2023-persistent-viral},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rasa-dzelzkaleja-2023-persistent-viral
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.