Chandelier
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
This article has been retracted.
Partial Retraction
14 OCT 2011
This article has been retracted.
Retraction
23 DEC 2011
This article has an editorial expression of concern.
Editorial Expression of Concern
1 JUL 2011
Lombardi et al. (p. 585, published online 8 October; see the Perspective by Coffin and Stoye) now present a tantalizing new lead.
In blood samples from 101 patients with well-documented CFS, over two-thirds (68) contained DNA from a recently described human gammaretrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus–related virus (XMRV), which possesses sequence similarity to a murine leukemia virus.
Cell culture assays confirmed that XMRV derived from CFS patient plasma and from T and B lymphocytes was infectious.
Although the correlation with CFS is striking, whether the virus plays a causal role in the disorder remains to be determined. Interestingly, nearly 4% of the 218 healthy donors tested were positive for XMRV, which suggests that this virus—whose pathogenic potential is unknown—may be present in a significant proportion of the general population.
Studying peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from CFS patients, we identified DNA from a human gammaretrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus–related virus (XMRV), in 68 of 101 patients (67%) as compared to 8 of 218 (3.7%) healthy controls.
Cell culture experiments revealed that patient-derived XMRV is infectious and that both cell-associated and cell-free transmission of the virus are possible.
Secondary viral infections were established in uninfected primary lymphocytes and indicator cell lines after their exposure to activated PBMCs, B cells, T cells, or plasma derived from CFS patients.
These findings raise the possibility that XMRV may be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of CFS.
PDF | Web | DOI | Science | Paywall, but PDF available
Lombardi, Vincent C.; Ruscetti, Francis W.; Das Gupta, Jaydip; Pfost, Max A.; Hagen, Kathryn S.; Peterson, Daniel L.; Ruscetti, Sandra K.; Bagni, Rachel K.; Petrow-Sadowski, Cari; Gold, Bert; Dean, Michael; Silverman, Robert H.; Mikovits, Judy A.
This article has been retracted.
Partial Retraction
14 OCT 2011
This article has been retracted.
Retraction
23 DEC 2011
This article has an editorial expression of concern.
Editorial Expression of Concern
1 JUL 2011
Viral Link to Chronic Fatigue
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex and debilitating disorder that is often linked to immune system dysfunction but whose cause(s) remain mysterious.Lombardi et al. (p. 585, published online 8 October; see the Perspective by Coffin and Stoye) now present a tantalizing new lead.
In blood samples from 101 patients with well-documented CFS, over two-thirds (68) contained DNA from a recently described human gammaretrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus–related virus (XMRV), which possesses sequence similarity to a murine leukemia virus.
Cell culture assays confirmed that XMRV derived from CFS patient plasma and from T and B lymphocytes was infectious.
Although the correlation with CFS is striking, whether the virus plays a causal role in the disorder remains to be determined. Interestingly, nearly 4% of the 218 healthy donors tested were positive for XMRV, which suggests that this virus—whose pathogenic potential is unknown—may be present in a significant proportion of the general population.
Abstract
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating disease of unknown etiology that is estimated to affect 17 million people worldwide.Studying peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from CFS patients, we identified DNA from a human gammaretrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus–related virus (XMRV), in 68 of 101 patients (67%) as compared to 8 of 218 (3.7%) healthy controls.
Cell culture experiments revealed that patient-derived XMRV is infectious and that both cell-associated and cell-free transmission of the virus are possible.
Secondary viral infections were established in uninfected primary lymphocytes and indicator cell lines after their exposure to activated PBMCs, B cells, T cells, or plasma derived from CFS patients.
These findings raise the possibility that XMRV may be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of CFS.
PDF | Web | DOI | Science | Paywall, but PDF available