Satterfield, Brent C, Garcia, Rebecca A, Jia, Hongwei et al. · Retrovirology · 2011 · DOI
In 2009, researchers reported finding a virus called XMRV in most people with ME/CFS, which sparked hope for a potential cause. This study tested blood samples from 45 ME/CFS patients and 42 healthy people from across the United States using sensitive laboratory methods to look for XMRV and related viruses. The researchers found no evidence of these viruses in any of the samples, suggesting that XMRV is not present in most ME/CFS cases.
This study is important because it provided rigorous negative evidence against a prominent viral hypothesis for ME/CFS causation, helping redirect research efforts away from XMRV. It demonstrates the value of reproduction studies in science and shows that initial high-profile findings require careful confirmation before becoming accepted.
This study does not prove that no infectious agent is involved in ME/CFS—it only addresses one specific virus. It does not exclude the possibility that other viruses or pathogens might play a role in ME/CFS pathogenesis. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or determine why one study found high prevalence while multiple others found none.
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
Satterfield, Brent C, Garcia, Rebecca A, Jia, Hongwei, Tang, Shaohua, Zheng, Haoqiang, & Switzer, William M (2011). Serologic and PCR testing of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome in the United States shows no association with xenotropic or polytropic murine leukemia virus-related viruses.. Retrovirology. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4690-8-12
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-satterfield-2011-serologic-pcr,
author = {Satterfield, Brent C and Garcia, Rebecca A and Jia, Hongwei and Tang, Shaohua and Zheng, Haoqiang and Switzer, William M},
title = {Serologic and PCR testing of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome in the United States shows no association with xenotropic or polytropic murine leukemia virus-related viruses.},
journal = {Retrovirology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1186/1742-4690-8-12},
note = {PubMed: 21342521},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/satterfield-2011-serologic-pcr},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/satterfield-2011-serologic-pcr
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