Is there a consensus that this definitely happens with all ME/CFS patients? It is definitely true for me and causes me endless problems with my NHS surgery who won't give me antibiotics when I know I need them. They just tell me its a virus but it's not, usually a throat infection that simmers on and on below the surface making me extremely unwell and unable to do anything butI won't recover until I get an effective antibiotic (often I have had to get these over the Internet because of the attitude of the doctors at my surgery.).
Pam
I don't know if it applies to all patients, as some have clearly benefited from antivirals or Dr. Chia's and other's work.
But I think there's a reason why it used to be called CFIDS -- Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome -- because it's extremely rare to hear of a patient getting the flu or an infection -- and then getting a strong, high, prolonged fever which gets rid of the flu or infection, and then recovers and gets their life back.
And on the flip side, there are people who are on antibiotics for years, yet the second they go off them, the infection(s) come roaring back, perhaps because again, the immune system is dysfunctional.
Lastly, some have reported developing ME/CFS after long courses of ABX, suggesting that the microbiome becomes disturbed/depleted as a result...which may bring us back full circle w/the th1/th2 imbalance hypothesis. A lot of this, IMHO comes back to the gut.