Williams, Marshall V, Cox, Brandon, Ariza, Maria Eugenia · Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2016 · DOI
This review examines how herpesvirus proteins called dUTPases may trigger harmful immune responses in ME/CFS and other diseases. Most adults carry dormant herpesviruses (like Epstein-Barr virus) that can reactivate throughout life. The researchers suggest that proteins released during reactivation may overstimulate the immune system, potentially worsening ME/CFS symptoms and inflammation.
Understanding whether herpesvirus reactivation and dUTPase-mediated immune dysregulation contributes to ME/CFS pathophysiology could open new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues. This work bridges virology, immunology, and ME/CFS research, suggesting that targeting viral lytic proteins rather than the virus itself might reduce symptom burden and inflammation in affected patients.
This review does not establish that dUTPases are the primary cause of ME/CFS, nor does it provide direct clinical evidence that inhibiting these proteins improves patient outcomes. The proposed mechanisms are supported by indirect evidence and animal models; direct causation in human ME/CFS remains to be demonstrated through prospective clinical studies.
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 →
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Primary citation
Williams, Marshall V, Cox, Brandon, & Ariza, Maria Eugenia (2016). Herpesviruses dUTPases: A New Family of Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern (PAMP) Proteins with Implications for Human Disease.. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens6010002
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-williams-2016-herpesviruses-dutpases,
author = {Williams, Marshall V and Cox, Brandon and Ariza, Maria Eugenia},
title = {Herpesviruses dUTPases: A New Family of Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern (PAMP) Proteins with Implications for Human Disease.},
journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.3390/pathogens6010002},
note = {PubMed: 28036046},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/williams-2016-herpesviruses-dutpases},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/williams-2016-herpesviruses-dutpases
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