Wilborn, F, Schmidt, C A, Brinkmann, V et al. · Journal of neuroimmunology · 1994 · DOI
This study looked for evidence that human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6), a common virus, might be involved in nervous system diseases including ME/CFS. Researchers tested blood and spinal fluid samples from patients with different neurological conditions and compared them to healthy controls. They found that a small number of multiple sclerosis patients had HHV-6 DNA in their spinal fluid, and MS patients had higher antibodies to HHV-6 in their blood, suggesting the virus may play a role in that disease.
This early investigation of viral involvement in nervous system diseases is relevant because ME/CFS patients often report viral triggers and seek to understand potential infectious mechanisms. The study's exploration of how latent herpesviruses might affect the nervous system provides a framework for investigating similar mechanisms in ME/CFS, though ME/CFS-specific findings were not detailed in this abstract.
This study does not prove that HHV-6 causes MS or any of the other diseases studied; finding the virus present does not establish causation. The small sample size and low detection rate (14.3% of MS patients) mean results cannot be generalized to all patients with these conditions. The study also does not directly address ME/CFS specifically, despite mentioning it in the introduction.
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
Wilborn, F, Schmidt, C A, Brinkmann, V, Jendroska, K, Oettle, H, & Siegert, W (1994). A potential role for human herpesvirus type 6 in nervous system disease.. Journal of neuroimmunology. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-5728(94)90198-8
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wilborn-1994-potential-role,
author = {Wilborn, F and Schmidt, C A and Brinkmann, V and Jendroska, K and Oettle, H and Siegert, W},
title = {A potential role for human herpesvirus type 6 in nervous system disease.},
journal = {Journal of neuroimmunology},
year = {1994},
doi = {10.1016/0165-5728(94)90198-8},
note = {PubMed: 8294559},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wilborn-1994-potential-role},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wilborn-1994-potential-role
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