Firestormm
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A Multicenter Blinded Analysis Indicates No Association between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and either Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus or Polytropic Murine Leukemia Virus
mBio 18th September 2012
Harvey J. Alter,a Judy A. Mikovits,b William M. Switzer,c Francis W. Ruscetti,d Shyh-Ching Lo,e Nancy Klimas,f,g Anthony L. Komaroff,h Jose G. Montoya,i Lucinda Bateman,j Susan Levine,k Daniel Peterson,l Bruce Levin,m Maureen R. Hanson,n Afia Genfi,o Meera Bhat,o HaoQiang Zheng,c Richard Wang,a Bingjie Li,e Guo-Chiuan Hung,e Li Ling Lee,n Stephen Sameroff,o Walid Heneine,c John Coffin,p Mady Hornig,o and W. Ian Lipkino
ABSTRACT
The disabling disorder known as chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) has been linked in two independent studies to infection with xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and polytropic murine leukemia virus (pMLV).
Although the associations were not confirmed in subsequent studies by other investigators, patients continue to question the consensus of the scientific community in rejecting the validity of the association.
Here we report blinded analysis of peripheral blood from a rigorously characterized, geographically diverse population of 147 patients with CFS/ME and 146 healthy subjects by the investigators describing the original association.
This analysis reveals no evidence of either XMRV or pMLV infection.
IMPORTANCE
Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis has an estimated prevalence of 42/10,000 in the United States, with annual direct medical costs of $7 billion.
Here, the original investigators who found XMRV and pMLV (polytropic murine leukemia virus) in blood of subjects with this disorder report that this association is not confirmed in a blinded analysis of samples from rigorously characterized subjects.
The increasing frequency with which molecular methods are used for pathogen discovery poses new challenges to public health and support of science.
It is imperative that strategies be developed to rapidly and coherently address discoveries so that they can be carried forward for translation to clinical medicine or abandoned to focus resource investment more productively.
Our study provides a paradigm for pathogen dediscovery that may be helpful to others working in this field.
Full paper: Free Access: http://mbio.asm.org/content/3/5/e00266-12.full.pdf html
I figured a separate thread for any discussion pertaining to the content of the paper itself might be useful given the volume of comments on other threads.
mBio 18th September 2012
Harvey J. Alter,a Judy A. Mikovits,b William M. Switzer,c Francis W. Ruscetti,d Shyh-Ching Lo,e Nancy Klimas,f,g Anthony L. Komaroff,h Jose G. Montoya,i Lucinda Bateman,j Susan Levine,k Daniel Peterson,l Bruce Levin,m Maureen R. Hanson,n Afia Genfi,o Meera Bhat,o HaoQiang Zheng,c Richard Wang,a Bingjie Li,e Guo-Chiuan Hung,e Li Ling Lee,n Stephen Sameroff,o Walid Heneine,c John Coffin,p Mady Hornig,o and W. Ian Lipkino
ABSTRACT
The disabling disorder known as chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) has been linked in two independent studies to infection with xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and polytropic murine leukemia virus (pMLV).
Although the associations were not confirmed in subsequent studies by other investigators, patients continue to question the consensus of the scientific community in rejecting the validity of the association.
Here we report blinded analysis of peripheral blood from a rigorously characterized, geographically diverse population of 147 patients with CFS/ME and 146 healthy subjects by the investigators describing the original association.
This analysis reveals no evidence of either XMRV or pMLV infection.
IMPORTANCE
Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis has an estimated prevalence of 42/10,000 in the United States, with annual direct medical costs of $7 billion.
Here, the original investigators who found XMRV and pMLV (polytropic murine leukemia virus) in blood of subjects with this disorder report that this association is not confirmed in a blinded analysis of samples from rigorously characterized subjects.
The increasing frequency with which molecular methods are used for pathogen discovery poses new challenges to public health and support of science.
It is imperative that strategies be developed to rapidly and coherently address discoveries so that they can be carried forward for translation to clinical medicine or abandoned to focus resource investment more productively.
Our study provides a paradigm for pathogen dediscovery that may be helpful to others working in this field.
Full paper: Free Access: http://mbio.asm.org/content/3/5/e00266-12.full.pdf html
I figured a separate thread for any discussion pertaining to the content of the paper itself might be useful given the volume of comments on other threads.