Whittemore Peterson Institute’s XMRV study
The spectrum of neuro-immune diseases including: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), Atypical MS, Fibromyalgia and Gulf War Syndrome, share common abnormalities in the innate immune response inc, which result in chronic immune activation and immune deficiency.
We have detected the retroviral infection XMRV is greater than 95% of the more than 200 ME/CFS, Fibromylagia, Atypical MS patients tested. The current working hypothesis is that XMRV infection of B, T, NK and other cells of the innate immune response causes the chronic inflammation and immune deficiency resulting in an inability to mount an effective immune response to opportunistic infections. (See XMRV paper in Science.)
This discovery opens an entire new avenue of Neuro-Immune Disease related research and our discovery has brought to this field world-renown immunologists and retrovirologists building our team of collaborators to translate our discoveries into new treatments as soon as possible.
Because retroviruses are known to cause inflammatory diseases, neurological disease immune deficiency and cancer the discovery of XMRV has far reaching implications for the prevention and treatment of not only lymphoma, one of the potentially devastating complications of ME/CFS but prostate cancer and perhaps many others.
As National Academy of Sciences member and expert retrovirologist, John Coffin wrote in the commentary accompanying our landmark publication in Science "One New Virus-How many Old Diseases". We look forward to translating this discovery into treatment options!
Having to deal with Fibro for the past 30 years,this info is wonderful news,I have always felt that there was more to it than being all in my head.
I know, I have CFS/ME myself. To deal with an ignorant medical community (there are exceptions) can be very frustrating, especially since some of us are really ill. I would do anything to get my health back, there are so many things I want to do! I hope this XMRV finding is IT. I participate in a study here in Sweden, the results of this study should be released in 5 months. I’ll post when I know.
i have xmrv and now know that i have renal cell cancer,i have come to reno from 2000 miles away all alone and my goal is to get alternative treatment not offered in indiana and to finally be tested for xmrv and prove I was truly ill all these years and it was not imagined in my head.{i got so sick of hearing the tests don’t show anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!} i have lost all worldly possesions and nearly 2million in cash all because i was sick and no one would believe me.I may die within a couple of months, like predicted but before that happens if need be I will do whatever to prove my [point and teach ego inflated doctors they don’t know everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have CFS/ME too. Not everyone with CFS/ ME have XMRV. There is a method that Dr Cheney speaks about to show for sure that we have this illness and that we are really sick. They have to test for heart failure, but not the standard way, but by measuring blood volume. We have a blood volume that is so low that it would land anyone else horizontal unable to get up at all. I discovered this blood volume thing myself when I went in to the hospital for a test, and they had to put me to sleep. I got intravenous fluids. After waking up, I felt so good, like before I got sick. I had bounce in my footstep, and I felt I had all the energy I needed, plus my head felt alert. A miracle for any of us. It lasted for 24-36 hours. I started reading up on this and I found that some patients have found help getting this intravenous fluid daily and they are doing heck of a lot better, but they do get ill if they don’t keep taking this fluid. We live like people with heart failure and more. 20% of the patients die from heart failure, 20 % from any type of cancer, lifespan is shortened by approx. 25 years. I am batteling everyday life like you, I won’t get the Swedish version of SSDI. No fun. I understand your anger. I have it too. The tests they do are not the right tests, specific testing has to be done, that’s why it “doesn’t show anything”.