XMRV Triggers Urgency, Flurry of Interest in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The XMRV Research Series

The discovery of a possible retroviral connection to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) isn't just stirring up the ME/CFS community -- it's getting the attention of the entire scientific community.

That's quite a feat, considering how ME/CFS research has languished due to lack of funding and interest. Now, however, XMRV is changing things.

• 75 XMRV researchers are getting together in Ohio this week to share information.
• Pharmaceutical companies are asking for samples of XMRV so they can see if their existing anti-retrovirals (HIV drugs) can be adapted to treat ME/CFS.
• The Whittemore-Peterson Institute, which conducted the XMRV research, is anticipating trials of a vaccine sometime next year.

While all XMRV research is in its earliest stages, not only does it look like it could be tied to aggressive prostate cancer and ME/CFS, studies suggest it could be infecting about 4% of the public and that it's transmitted through bodily fluids. That adds a possible public health concern, and that ball is apparently already rolling.

While this is far from the first virus to be suspected as a major cause of ME/CFS, it's certainly generating a lot more scientific interest than earlier discoveries have. That interest could help speed up the processes that have been dragging on for decades, toward getting better diagnostics, better treatments, and possibly even a vaccine to prevent future cases.

There's been a lot about XMRV in the media, and here are a couple of excellent, informative articles I've come across:

• Medical breakthrough puts Reno in spotlight
• Top scientists to meet at Cleveland Clinic on trail of XMRV

Also See: The XMRV Discovery Series index

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