XMRV IgG Antibody test is out in the next 4-6 months I think from VIPdx.
As for the 67% of the WPI study in the initial first study having XMRV, that is very high indeed for patients who tell a doctor they are exhausted and have neuro symptoms with no other evidence. (If, for example one took 100 people in a room who 'think' or are 'told' (guessed at) they have MS (with no other test), and 67 of them tested positive on a blood test for MS - that would be a remarkable achievement). Especially, as once the test is refined and completed, the acccuracy will get higher. We are lead to believe the Antibody test for people with Neuro Immune disease leading to classic symptoms of ME CFIDS, runs up to the 80% rate when tested for XMRV.
The average joe public with Chronic Fatigue (told they have CFS) would never score this high for XMRV (67%) on PCR/Culture . Conversely the patients at the WPI no doubt have all sorts of horrible symptoms of organic disease - which XMRV would cause and which the Canadian Criteria for CFS allows for. The Wessely UK XMRV study, discounted anyone with organic disease, and used an invalid detection method. Hence they got 0%, which would be statistically impossible.
Seriously diseased people (rightly or wrongly) have been given the label 'CFS' - the same as people who are not organically ill, but psychiatrically ill, or just ill for other reasons. One can argue, (ironically) that people who test XMRV+ don't have CFS, but XMRV and have been misdiagnosed. I would agree.
1) So we have people saying Oi, hands of CFS you are mentally ill and I am not (fair enough).
2) So we have people saying Oi, hands of CFS you are not mentally ill and I am (fair enough as CFS Criteria allow for the mentally ill).
3) And we have people saying Oi, I don't have CFS, I have neuro immune disease but got the wrong label. (fair enough).
Allowing for this very real situation, you can see that no way in God's earth would 67% of the above test positive for XMRV.
You'd need to select group 3 at least.
67% tested positive for XMRV and it's so high because the WPI made sure, they were very sure these people had Neuro Immune disease beforehand, by using the Canadian Criteria for CFS, not some Criteria about being tired and having a headache and depression. (Which is now the average person's experience of 'CFS' thanks to very lax and poorly defined Criteria in use today).
In the UK, especially, there are people who are stroking their faces, and saying 'No' in their heads - and claiming to have CFS. If CFS is unexplained tiredness caused by neurosis then they do have CFS. If CFS is a neuro immune disease, then they do not. If CFS is unexplained organic disease, then they do not.
Would people who stroke their face or say 'no' to vanish symptoms away have a cancer causing immune supressing retrovirus causing significant inflammation and cardio respriatory symptoms etc etc? Nope. And if these people get tested for XMRV they won't have it. Many of these people are on this board if you read the sections of the forum. They are told they fit the criteria, so they have the same label as someone who has a tube up their genitals and cannot feel to pee due to nerve damage. Ludicrous, but that's the state of play.
People with Chronic viral infections, deficiencies, sleep disorders, won't have XMRV either, and they'll also test negative - despite being told they have CFS. Only a small percentage of people on this forum will be XMRV+ by the very logic of having an 'unexplained' illness with no specific single Criteria, and no other way to test for it. CFS is an idiotic word and should never have been used. It's a free for all, anyone can join the party - unless using Canadian Criteria.
Now we have (literally) countless reasons to have 'CFS' and people testing negative for XMRV which they needed to have to get help, and recognition from the medical profession.
It's a huge mess, and entirely caused by Government health agencies being infested with psychological theories. Theories that are alive and well today.
It causes friction to say the very least. One could argue quite rightly, this board is not about XMRV, but CFS and ME.
Certainly if I was XMRV+ I'd be an extreme minority on here, and that's no bad thing as until someone 'officially' changes what CFS is, then XMRV is not CFS or ME.
The good news is, when one does test positive, all the in-fighting and arguments end. People can allow people to have theories on mental processes and CBT, and whatever, as they are no longer in the group of people with the label and their life is no longer threatened by 'CFS' theories.
I imagine the feeling of being pulled out of the group of 'CFS' is like coming to a long exhausting fight, for everyone.