title: Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.
abstract: A recent report suggested an association between xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). If confirmed, this would suggest that antiretroviral therapy might benefit patients suffering from CFS. We validated a set of assays for XMRV and evaluated the prevalence of XMRV in a cohort of monozygotic twins discordant for CFS. Stored peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples were tested with 3 separate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays (one of which was nested) for XMRV DNA, and serum/plasma was tested for XMRV RNA by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. None of the PBMC samples from the twins with CFS or their unaffected co-twins was positive for XMRV, by any of the assays. One plasma sample, from an unaffected co-twin, was reproducibly positive by RT-PCR. However, serum from the same day was negative, as was a follow-up plasma sample obtained 2 days after the positive specimen. These data do not support an association of XMRV with CFS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. kjerome@fhcrc.org
authors.forename: Keith R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Jerome
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diem
authors.forename: Meei-Li
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selke
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corey
authors.forename: Dedra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buchwald
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000821:virology*; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic; D058008:Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*