Switzer, William M, Zheng, Haoqiang, Simmons, Graham et al. · PloS one · 2011 · DOI
Researchers tested 8 common vaccines to see if they contained XMRV or related viruses that had been previously linked to ME/CFS. They used sensitive tests including genetic sequencing to look for these viruses. None of the vaccines contained XMRV or the related viruses they were looking for, suggesting vaccines are not a source of these viruses in people.
Early reports linked XMRV to ME/CFS, raising public health concerns about vaccine safety as a potential transmission route. This study directly addresses that concern by definitively testing major vaccines for these viruses, providing reassurance for ME/CFS patients considering vaccination and supporting the growing evidence that XMRV/MLV are not associated with human disease.
This study does not prove that XMRV was never associated with ME/CFS cases, nor does it establish the origin of XMRV in the humans where it was previously reported. It only demonstrates vaccines are unlikely to be a source of XMRV/MLV exposure; it does not address other potential transmission routes or the validity of prior XMRV-ME/CFS associations.
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
Switzer, William M, Zheng, Haoqiang, Simmons, Graham, Zhou, Yanchen, Tang, Shaohua, Shankar, Anupama, et al. (2011). No evidence of murine leukemia virus-related viruses in live attenuated human vaccines.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029223
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-switzer-2011-evidence-murine,
author = {Switzer, William M and Zheng, Haoqiang and Simmons, Graham and Zhou, Yanchen and Tang, Shaohua and Shankar, Anupama and Kapusinszky, Beatrix and Delwart, Eric L and Heneine, Walid},
title = {No evidence of murine leukemia virus-related viruses in live attenuated human vaccines.},
journal = {PloS one},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0029223},
note = {PubMed: 22216219},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/switzer-2011-evidence-murine},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/switzer-2011-evidence-murine
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