Steiner, Sophie, Becker, Sonya C, Hartwig, Jelka et al. · Frontiers in immunology · 2020 · DOI
This study looked at specific genetic variations that are known to affect how the immune system works. Researchers compared DNA from ME/CFS patients and healthy controls, and found that certain genetic variations were more common in ME/CFS patients whose illness started with an infection. These genetic changes affect how immune cells are controlled, suggesting that autoimmunity may play a role specifically in ME/CFS cases that begin with an infection.
This research provides evidence that autoimmune mechanisms may contribute to ME/CFS in patients whose illness began with an acute infection, potentially identifying a distinct biological subtype of the disease. Understanding these genetic risk factors could eventually lead to better diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted treatments for infection-triggered ME/CFS cases.
This study does not prove that these genetic variants cause ME/CFS; it only shows an association in patients with infection-triggered onset. The study cannot determine whether these variants directly trigger disease or increase susceptibility, nor can it explain why these variants are associated with infection-triggered ME/CFS but not other onset types. Genetic association does not establish causation or predict individual risk.
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
Steiner, Sophie, Becker, Sonya C, Hartwig, Jelka, Sotzny, Franziska, Lorenz, Sebastian, Bauer, Sandra, et al. (2020). Autoimmunity-Related Risk Variants in PTPN22 and CTLA4 Are Associated With ME/CFS With Infectious Onset.. Frontiers in immunology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00578
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-steiner-2020-autoimmunity-related,
author = {Steiner, Sophie and Becker, Sonya C and Hartwig, Jelka and Sotzny, Franziska and Lorenz, Sebastian and Bauer, Sandra and Löbel, Madlen and Stittrich, Anna B and Grabowski, Patricia and Scheibenbogen, Carmen},
title = {Autoimmunity-Related Risk Variants in PTPN22 and CTLA4 Are Associated With ME/CFS With Infectious Onset.},
journal = {Frontiers in immunology},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2020.00578},
note = {PubMed: 32328064},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/steiner-2020-autoimmunity-related},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/steiner-2020-autoimmunity-related
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