Retroviral sequences related to human T-lymphotropic virus type II in patients with chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome.
Chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) is a recently recognized illness characterized by debilitating fatigue as well as immunological and neurological abnormalities [Straus, S.E. (1988) J. Inf. Dis. 157, 405-412]. Once thought to be caused by Epstein-Barr virus, it is now thought to have a different but unknown etiology. We evaluated 30 adult and pediatric CFIDS patients from six eastern states for the presence of human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) types I and II by Western immunoblotting, polymearse chain reaction, and in situ hybridization of blood samples. The majority of patients were positive for HTLV antibodies by Western blotting and for HTLV-II gag sequences by polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. Twenty nonexposure healthy controls were negative in all assays. These data support an association between an HTLV-II-like virus and CFIDS.
DeFreitas
E
E
Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Hilliard
B
B
Cheney
P R
PR
Bell
D S
DS
Kiggundu
E
E
Sankey
D
D
Wroblewska
Z
Z
Palladino
M
M
Woodward
J P
JP
Koprowski
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000235:genetics; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007154:Immune System Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012016:Reference Values
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger