Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2009-10, Vol.326 (5952), p.585-589
• Main Authors: 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
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral - blood; B lymphocytes; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; B-Lymphocytes - virology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blood cells; Cell culture techniques; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell lines; Cellular biology; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Coculture Techniques; Disease transmission; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; DNA - genetics; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - virology; Gammaretrovirus - genetics; Gammaretrovirus - immunology; Gammaretrovirus - isolation & purification; Gammaretrovirus - physiology; Gene Products, env - analysis; Gene Products, gag - analysis; Genome, Viral; Humans; Immune system; Infectious diseases; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - virology; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytes; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Miscellaneous. Osteoarticular involvement in other diseases; Molecular Sequence Data; Pathology; Prostate cancer; Prostatic Neoplasms - virology; Retroviridae; Retroviridae Infections - epidemiology; Retroviridae Infections - transmission; Retroviridae Infections - virology; Retrovirus; T lymphocytes; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - virology; Tumor Virus Infections - epidemiology; Tumor Virus Infections - transmission; Tumor Virus Infections - virology; Viral diseases; Viruses
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1179052

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.