XMRV & Updated Mechanism Theory of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The XMRV Discovery Series
Dr. Daniel Peterson, one of the researchers involved in the possibly groundbreaking XMRV findings, testified before the NIH's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee Oct. 29. Among the many things he presented was an updated theory of how chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) develops. (Thanks to Dr. David S. Bell and his newsletter, Lyndonville News for putting this into language that was easier to understand!)
- You are, somehow, infected with XMRV. The retrovirus may enter your body along with another virus (basically "piggybacking"), such as Epstein-Barr or human herpesvirus 6. It could be in the blood supply. It could happen in myriad other ways -- we just don't know yet.
- XMRV infects cells involved in immunity, such as Natural Killer (NK) cells, B cells and T cells. That fits with findings of other researchers who've focused on viral/immune mechanisms for ME/CFS.
- NK cells are impaired, in both number and activity. This results in immunodeficiency and leaves the body unable to control certain infectious agents, including herpes viruses. A similar mechanism is at work in HIV, the best known retroviral disease, only involving a different type of cell.
- Other infectious agents in the body reactivate. With the suppression forces gone from the immune system, other viruses are effectively "let out of jail" and given free reign in your body. This leads to the well-documented features of ME/CFS, including increased cytokine production and activation of RNase L. This contributes to symptoms.
You can see a podcast of the entire presentation here: NIH Video Casting (scroll down until you see Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee Meeting, (CFSAC) - Day 1. There's also a Day 2.)
Does this model help you understand how XMRV might lead to ME/CFS? Do you think it holds together and provides a realistic mechanism? Share your opinions below!
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Dr Paterson’s explanation is quite plausible.
The recent research could be like switching on a light in a room to enable other’s to pinpoint the exact cause of CFS.
i m so desperate and full of hope/ how long will it take now to get the cure/ my life went out of control 9 years ago and i want it back!!!!!!!
thanks to all the searchers and the people who care for us
sharon
Yes, it does.
A lot of things make more sense with this retrovirus model. It is also harrowing. Part of me is praying I test negative for XMRV, but most of me knows, in my bones, that this is it.
I have suffered with this disease for 40 years, long before it was named CFS. For about 20 years, I have felt that it involved a retrovirus. The ups and downs I experienced, the response to other infections, etc. all had me telling my doctors and friends, “They will discover a retrovirus.” I also believe it will have a primary action in the nervous/immune system which will explain the neurological symptoms.
Even so, I remain somewhat cautious because I have gone through virtually every therapy readily available, e.g. I could not get immunoglobulin which helped another victim I once knew, and have watched every theory come and go.
Almost certainly, XMRV enables other viruses and or piggybacks on them.
No matter what way you cut into it XMRV is a scary bugger.