Tiev, Kiet Phong, Demettre, Edith, Ercolano, Philippe et al. · Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology · 2003 · DOI
This study looked at a protein called RNase L in the immune cells of ME/CFS patients and healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had a different pattern of RNase L forms compared to healthy volunteers, and this pattern could potentially be used as a simple blood test to help diagnose ME/CFS. The test showed promise in distinguishing ME/CFS patients from healthy people in this small group.
ME/CFS currently lacks objective diagnostic markers, making diagnosis difficult and often delayed. If validated, the RNase L isoform ratio could become a simple blood test to help clinicians objectively diagnose ME/CFS and potentially guide treatment decisions. This study provides early evidence that a measurable immune abnormality may underlie ME/CFS pathology.
This small study does not prove that RNase L ratio abnormalities cause ME/CFS—only that they are associated with the condition. The findings have not been confirmed in larger populations, and it is unclear whether this biomarker is stable over time or how it changes with disease progression or treatment. The study cannot establish whether this ratio would be useful for monitoring disease activity or predicting outcomes.
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
Tiev, Kiet Phong, Demettre, Edith, Ercolano, Philippe, Bastide, Lionel, Lebleu, Bernard, & Cabane, Jean (2003). RNase L levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: 37-kilodalton/83-kilodalton isoform ratio is a potential test for chronic fatigue syndrome.. Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology. https://doi.org/10.1128/cdli.10.2.315-316.2003
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-tiev-2003-rnase-levels,
author = {Tiev, Kiet Phong and Demettre, Edith and Ercolano, Philippe and Bastide, Lionel and Lebleu, Bernard and Cabane, Jean},
title = {RNase L levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: 37-kilodalton/83-kilodalton isoform ratio is a potential test for chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1128/cdli.10.2.315-316.2003},
note = {PubMed: 12626460},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tiev-2003-rnase-levels},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tiev-2003-rnase-levels
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