This is a statement from he UK ME Association.
MAY BE REPOSTED
ABSENCE OF XENOTROPIC MURINE LEUKAEMIA VIRUS-RELATED VIRUS (XMRV) IN UK PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
RETROVIROLOGY: 2010, 7, 10
A second UK research group has today (15 February 2010) reported that they have been unable to find any evidence of XMRV infection in people with ME/CFS.
The research, which has been published in the on-line edition of Retrovirology, was carried out by a collaborative of very reputable virologists and retrovirologists. The group includes two researchers (ie Professor John Gow and Dr Jonathan Kerr) who are already involved in biomedical research into various aspects of ME/CFS. Dr Jonathan Stoye, from the National Institute for Medical Research, co-authored the editorial in Science that accompanied the paper from the American group which first raised the possibility of a link between XMRV and ME/CFS back in October 2009.
The UK research involved the use of blood samples taken from two cohorts involving 170 people with CFS and 395 controls.
They looked for evidence of XMRV infection using quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to check for the presence of viral nucleic acids (DNA) and a viral neutralisation assay to try and detect an anti-XMRV immune response.
The authors report that they have not identified XMRV DNA (ie genetic material) in any samples using PCR (0/299). Some samples showed XMRV neutralising activity (26/565) but only one of these positive sera came from a CFS patient.
Those involved in this replication study concluded that:
No association between XMRV infection and CFS was observed in the samples tested, either by PCR or serological methodologies. The non-specific neutralisation observed in multiple serum samples suggests that it is unlikely that these responses were elicited by XMRV and highlights the danger of over-estimating XMRV frequency based on serological assays. In spite of this, we believe that the detection of neutralising activity did not inhibit VSV-G pseudotyped MLV in at least four human samples indicates that XMRV infection may occur in the general population, although with currently uncertain outcomes
The ME Association advice on XMRV testing remains the same. We do not believe there is any point, at present, in spending a large sum of money on a blood test that has not yet been shown to be a diagnostic marker for ME/CFS or an aid to management. The ME Association will be issuing a more detailed position statement on this UK research later.
An abstract of the research paper can be accessed here: http://www.retrovirology.com/content/7/1/10/abstract The full paper can be accessed via a provisional PDF on the Retrovirologity journal site.
The most recent MEA summary on XMRV can be accessed using the Quick Links section on the MEA website: http://www.meassociation.org.uk
Dr Charles Shepherd
Hon Medical Adviser, MEA
ENDS
Edits from Orla: Some of the researchers (e.g. Kerr and Gow) involved in this study have an established history of biomedical investigation into ME/CFS and have a non-psychiatric view of ME/CFS. Kerr seems to be working with the WPI on other projects, see http://www.wpinstitute.org/research/research_basic.html and Sept 2009 http://www.wpinstitute.org/news/news_current.html so I would guess that there had been some discussion between them re XMRV.
This latest UK paper states that: This work was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (file reference (KB)U117592729 and (JS) U117512710), The Wellcome Trust (grant ID 084955) and CFS Research Foundation, UK.
This is a link to a press release from the UK Medical Research Council http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/news/2010/xmrv-cfs/index.htm suggesting the story is not over yet:
" Our study failed to replicate the results of the US study despite using what we believe to be a more sensitive test. We found no association between XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, chronic fatigue syndrome may encompass a spectrum of different conditions providing a possible explanation for this discrepancy.
Chronic fatigue syndrome affects a large number of people and our findings are likely to be very disappointing to these patients, their families and their friends. It is important that we keep an open mind about new scientific discoveries which point to possible causes of this often very serious condition. Replication is an important part of the scientific method and, as the initial findings have not yet been replicated, I think it will be important to develop standardised samples and assays for XMRV that can be rapidly tested by different laboratories around the world."
There is lot of comment, including scientific comments, in the discussion pages on this forum thread so worth having a look.
MAY BE REPOSTED
ABSENCE OF XENOTROPIC MURINE LEUKAEMIA VIRUS-RELATED VIRUS (XMRV) IN UK PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
RETROVIROLOGY: 2010, 7, 10
A second UK research group has today (15 February 2010) reported that they have been unable to find any evidence of XMRV infection in people with ME/CFS.
The research, which has been published in the on-line edition of Retrovirology, was carried out by a collaborative of very reputable virologists and retrovirologists. The group includes two researchers (ie Professor John Gow and Dr Jonathan Kerr) who are already involved in biomedical research into various aspects of ME/CFS. Dr Jonathan Stoye, from the National Institute for Medical Research, co-authored the editorial in Science that accompanied the paper from the American group which first raised the possibility of a link between XMRV and ME/CFS back in October 2009.
The UK research involved the use of blood samples taken from two cohorts involving 170 people with CFS and 395 controls.
They looked for evidence of XMRV infection using quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to check for the presence of viral nucleic acids (DNA) and a viral neutralisation assay to try and detect an anti-XMRV immune response.
The authors report that they have not identified XMRV DNA (ie genetic material) in any samples using PCR (0/299). Some samples showed XMRV neutralising activity (26/565) but only one of these positive sera came from a CFS patient.
Those involved in this replication study concluded that:
No association between XMRV infection and CFS was observed in the samples tested, either by PCR or serological methodologies. The non-specific neutralisation observed in multiple serum samples suggests that it is unlikely that these responses were elicited by XMRV and highlights the danger of over-estimating XMRV frequency based on serological assays. In spite of this, we believe that the detection of neutralising activity did not inhibit VSV-G pseudotyped MLV in at least four human samples indicates that XMRV infection may occur in the general population, although with currently uncertain outcomes
The ME Association advice on XMRV testing remains the same. We do not believe there is any point, at present, in spending a large sum of money on a blood test that has not yet been shown to be a diagnostic marker for ME/CFS or an aid to management. The ME Association will be issuing a more detailed position statement on this UK research later.
An abstract of the research paper can be accessed here: http://www.retrovirology.com/content/7/1/10/abstract The full paper can be accessed via a provisional PDF on the Retrovirologity journal site.
The most recent MEA summary on XMRV can be accessed using the Quick Links section on the MEA website: http://www.meassociation.org.uk
Dr Charles Shepherd
Hon Medical Adviser, MEA
ENDS
Edits from Orla: Some of the researchers (e.g. Kerr and Gow) involved in this study have an established history of biomedical investigation into ME/CFS and have a non-psychiatric view of ME/CFS. Kerr seems to be working with the WPI on other projects, see http://www.wpinstitute.org/research/research_basic.html and Sept 2009 http://www.wpinstitute.org/news/news_current.html so I would guess that there had been some discussion between them re XMRV.
This latest UK paper states that: This work was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (file reference (KB)U117592729 and (JS) U117512710), The Wellcome Trust (grant ID 084955) and CFS Research Foundation, UK.
This is a link to a press release from the UK Medical Research Council http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/news/2010/xmrv-cfs/index.htm suggesting the story is not over yet:
" Our study failed to replicate the results of the US study despite using what we believe to be a more sensitive test. We found no association between XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, chronic fatigue syndrome may encompass a spectrum of different conditions providing a possible explanation for this discrepancy.
Chronic fatigue syndrome affects a large number of people and our findings are likely to be very disappointing to these patients, their families and their friends. It is important that we keep an open mind about new scientific discoveries which point to possible causes of this often very serious condition. Replication is an important part of the scientific method and, as the initial findings have not yet been replicated, I think it will be important to develop standardised samples and assays for XMRV that can be rapidly tested by different laboratories around the world."
There is lot of comment, including scientific comments, in the discussion pages on this forum thread so worth having a look.
:tongue:
