Found this posted over at the Prohealth Board. Something about this article seems vaguely familiar yet it's dated yesterday. Is this new?
http://www.prohealth.com/me-cfs/blog/boardDetail.cfm?id=1390089
Science Magazine
SCIENCE DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Correlation Between XMRV and Prostate
Cancer: Novel Retrovirus Diagnostic Test
Developed
An article published in the April issue of Urology is
a step in this direction as researchers from Emory
University report the successful development of an
experimental clinical test for XMRV.
"We cannot as a scientific community begin to
answer the basic questions of XMRV transmission,
frequency in the population, association with
disease, etc. until we can effectively test for
infection,"
according to lead investigator John A. Petros, MD,
Associate Professor of Urology, Emory University
School of Medicine and Veterans Administration
Hospital.
Dr. Petros and co-investigators adapted technology
developed in the HIV arena (neutralizing antibody
assay) and have developed a serum test that can
identify patients who have previously been infected
with the virus.
This assay has been rigorously confirmed by two
independent labs and two independent technologies
(PCR and FISH), thus confidence in the accuracy of
the test is high.
The mode of transmission
of the virus is unknown.
No method is available to screen either blood or
tissue donors for infection and no data are available
regarding whether the virus can be transmitted by
blood transfusion or tissue transplantation.
Dr. Petros comments:
"The public deserves to know if the next blood
transfusion or organ donation will give them XMRV
retrovirus, an infection which lasts for life, and could
possibly be related to prostate cancer. The failure to
develop accurate tests for this virus is a serious
public health oversight."
Although the assay used in the present report
involved the inhibition of infection of target cells by
viral-like particles with the XMRV envelope protein
expressed on their surface, results also suggest that
more standard serologic tests for antibodies against
specific viral antigens can be developed in the
future.
The authors conclude that:
"our report adds to the growing body of evidence
that XMRV is indeed a novel gamma-retrovirus
capable of infecting humans and that at least some
patients with prostate cancer have been infected
with XMRV.
We have reported serologic evidence of infection and
that the serology correlated with tissue-based
assays.
The concordance of 3 independent methods of
detecting infection added confidence to the assertion
that this recently discovered virus is real and
possibly related to human disease.
Robust clinical assays are needed to detect XMRV
infection, and much work remains to be done in
determining whether XMRV is indeed an oncogenic
virus or simply an associated epiphenomenon. "
Source: Adapted from materials provided by Elsevier
Health Sciences, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
http://www.prohealth.com/me-cfs/blog/boardDetail.cfm?id=1390089
Science Magazine
SCIENCE DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Correlation Between XMRV and Prostate
Cancer: Novel Retrovirus Diagnostic Test
Developed
An article published in the April issue of Urology is
a step in this direction as researchers from Emory
University report the successful development of an
experimental clinical test for XMRV.
"We cannot as a scientific community begin to
answer the basic questions of XMRV transmission,
frequency in the population, association with
disease, etc. until we can effectively test for
infection,"
according to lead investigator John A. Petros, MD,
Associate Professor of Urology, Emory University
School of Medicine and Veterans Administration
Hospital.
Dr. Petros and co-investigators adapted technology
developed in the HIV arena (neutralizing antibody
assay) and have developed a serum test that can
identify patients who have previously been infected
with the virus.
This assay has been rigorously confirmed by two
independent labs and two independent technologies
(PCR and FISH), thus confidence in the accuracy of
the test is high.
The mode of transmission
of the virus is unknown.
No method is available to screen either blood or
tissue donors for infection and no data are available
regarding whether the virus can be transmitted by
blood transfusion or tissue transplantation.
Dr. Petros comments:
"The public deserves to know if the next blood
transfusion or organ donation will give them XMRV
retrovirus, an infection which lasts for life, and could
possibly be related to prostate cancer. The failure to
develop accurate tests for this virus is a serious
public health oversight."
Although the assay used in the present report
involved the inhibition of infection of target cells by
viral-like particles with the XMRV envelope protein
expressed on their surface, results also suggest that
more standard serologic tests for antibodies against
specific viral antigens can be developed in the
future.
The authors conclude that:
"our report adds to the growing body of evidence
that XMRV is indeed a novel gamma-retrovirus
capable of infecting humans and that at least some
patients with prostate cancer have been infected
with XMRV.
We have reported serologic evidence of infection and
that the serology correlated with tissue-based
assays.
The concordance of 3 independent methods of
detecting infection added confidence to the assertion
that this recently discovered virus is real and
possibly related to human disease.
Robust clinical assays are needed to detect XMRV
infection, and much work remains to be done in
determining whether XMRV is indeed an oncogenic
virus or simply an associated epiphenomenon. "
Source: Adapted from materials provided by Elsevier
Health Sciences, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
