Vogl, Thomas, Kalka, Iris N, Klompus, Shelley et al. · Science advances · 2022 · DOI
Researchers found that people with severe ME/CFS have different immune responses against bacteria in their gut compared to healthy people. Specifically, their blood contains more antibodies (immune proteins) that target flagella, which are whip-like structures used by certain gut bacteria to move. This immune signature was so distinctive that a computer algorithm could use it to help identify ME/CFS patients.
This study provides the first evidence that ME/CFS patients have a characteristic immune signature against gut bacteria, which could help develop better diagnostic tests and deepen understanding of disease mechanisms. Identifying this microbiota-immune connection may open new therapeutic approaches targeting the gut-immune system relationship in ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that the altered antibody responses cause ME/CFS or that correcting them would improve symptoms; it only shows an association in severe patients at a single time point. The findings may not apply to mild or moderate ME/CFS, and this cross-sectional design cannot determine whether the immune changes precede illness onset or result from living with the disease.
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
Vogl, Thomas, Kalka, Iris N, Klompus, Shelley, Leviatan, Sigal, Weinberger, Adina, & Segal, Eran (2022). Systemic antibody responses against human microbiota flagellins are overrepresented in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.. Science advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abq2422
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-vogl-2022-systemic-antibody,
author = {Vogl, Thomas and Kalka, Iris N and Klompus, Shelley and Leviatan, Sigal and Weinberger, Adina and Segal, Eran},
title = {Systemic antibody responses against human microbiota flagellins are overrepresented in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.},
journal = {Science advances},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.abq2422},
note = {PubMed: 36149952},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vogl-2022-systemic-antibody},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vogl-2022-systemic-antibody
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