Welcome to Phoenix Rising!
Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.
To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.
The virus she isolated remained unidentified. It had one genetic sequence similar to HTLV-II but not others and she speculated that it was a different type of retrovirus altogether. She named it "CFIDS Associated retroVirus."Actually, I don't think so...she had the right idea, but hadn't isolated the correct virus.
This quote is quite telling:
"We are in the very early days," said Stuart Le Grice, director of the National Cancer Institute's Center of Excellence in HIV/AIDS and Cancer Virology..."The data need to be confirmed and repeated. . . . We need to know that it is a cause and not just a passenger. In a sense, we are at the same stage as we were when HIV was first discovered. Hopefully, we can take advantage of what we learned from working with it."
Le Grice emphasized, however, that traces of the virus had been found in blood samples preserved for 25 years. "This is not associated with a new and spreading disease. We are not on the verge of an epidemic," he said."
I don't have the paper but I remember the virus and Dr Holmes. By coincedence I did a search of all my old notes and emails and research saved.
It was thought to be like a Visna virus at the time (sheep retrovirus member of the Lentivirus family?)
Were they right?Type C retroviruses endogenous to various nonprimate species can infect human cells in vitro, yet the transmission of these viruses to humans is restricted.
Complement-mediated inactivation of amphotropic retroviral particles was found to be restricted to human and other Old World primate sera, which parallels the presence of anti-alpha-galactosyl natural Ab. Blockade or depletion of anti-alpha-galactosyl Ab in human serum prevented inactivation of both amphotropic and ecotropic murine retroviruses.
O_OFinally, down-regulation of this epitope on the surface of murine retroviralparticle producer cells rendered them, as well as the particles liberated from these cells, resistant to inactivation by human serum complement.
Our data suggest that anti-alpha-galactosyl Ab may provide a barrier for the horizontal transmission of retrovirus from species that express the alpha-galactosyl epitope to humans and to other Old World primates.
Further, these data provide a mechanism for the generation of complement-resistant retroviral vectors for in vivo gene therapy applications where exposure to human complement is UNAVOIDABLE.
Sure sounds a lot like retrovirus XMRV to me. They were also considering a lentivirus here Alice, but they weren't sure. Their tools for finding viruses and retroviruses are much more refined now but other researchers around this same time thought it might be a lentivirus too. They weren't sure, but had it pegged as several possibilities back then.Characterization of cracr proteins of CAV (CFS Associated Virus) reveals that "animal retroviruses that have been shown to express cracr proteins of these molecular weights are: primate D-type retroviruses; primate C-type; lentiviruses (EIAV but not HIV); mouse B-type (MMTV)
animal retroviruses that have been shown to express cracr proteins of these molecular weights are: primate D-type retroviruses; primate C-type; lentiviruses (EIAV but not HIV); mouse B-type (MMTV); avian C-type retroviruses, and perhaps Foamy (Spuma) viruses.
XMRV infects both T and B Cells.The inventors then provide additional characteristics of the retrovirus such as its ability to infect both T and B Cells.
What a shame that was never created.The inventors (De Freitas et al) also discuss the details of a CFIDS VACCINE and the VACCINE composition!
As far as I'm concerned here, there needs to be a criminal investigation of the NIH regarding why they refused to fund upon submission of all this data. Maybe then, some heads will roll and we'll begin to get some real answers! After all, each and every patient certainly deserves this and so much more! - Alan Cochetto.
the positive results seen in the Exposure Controls support the possibility that this CAV is capable of casual transmission to non-infected persons, as is the case with many non-human retroviruses.
Am I the only one whose anger at the trashing of De Freitas' work now includes both the CDC and the CFIDS Assn?
October 20, 2003
Gene therapy 'caused T-cell leukemia'
Insertional mutagenesis pinpointed as cause of T-cell leukemia in X-SCID gene therapy trial | By Jo Lyford
An unanticipated complication of gene therapy has been confirmed as the cause of T-cell leukemia in two boys receiving the pioneering treatment for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID).
Fischer and colleagues at the Necker Hospital developed an alternative therapy based on the ex vivo transfer of the γc gene into autologous hematopoietic precursor cells, employing a vector derived from a defective Moloney murine leukemia virus.
“Until this report, retroviral insertion in the context of gene therapy has been considered an untargeted and largely random event,”
"When everyone is out to get you, paranoia is just good thinking."Posing as a freelance journalist, he had attempted to contact the key policemen involved in investigating the case. In this he was unsuccessful but within an hour he received an unexpected return call.
The person on the other end of the line did not bother with formalities, but instead cut to the quick. How would my contact welcome a full tax inspection of his business, VAT, national insurance, the lot?
Life could be made very difficult, he was told. How did he fancy having no money?
He told his friend of his interest in the Kelly affair and also of the threatening phone call he had received.
His friend's reply was a serious one: he should be careful, particularly when using his phone or his computer. Moreover, he should let the Kelly matter drop.
Dr Kelly's death had been "a wet operation, a wet disposal".
He also warned him in very strong terms to leave the matter well alone.
He told me that three weeks after our meeting in Exeter, his house had been broken into and his laptop - containing all his material on Kelly - had been stolen. Other valuable goods, including a camera and an LCD television, had been left untouched.
Dr Kelly also had intimate knowledge of biological weapons research in apartheid-era South Africa that some might have preferred not to see the light of day.
It has also been suggested that he had dealings with Mossad, the Israeli secret service, about illegal bacterial weapon activity.
I really like the sound of Defreitas Disease. Yes, this was all covered in Osler's Web.
Look what I just found that correlates with the first link I gave in the post above:
http://cmbi.bjmu.edu.cn/news/0310/106.htm
Looks like retroviruses are often used in gene therapy which Jenbooks pointed out earlier. It also looks like the scientists believed they wouldn't cause humans diseases when used in this way. Looks like they were wrong.