title: Recombinant origin, contamination, and de-discovery of XMRV.
abstract: The discovery and de-discovery of the xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) has been a tumultuous roller-coaster ride for scientists and patients. The initial associations of XMRV with chronic fatigue syndrome and prostate cancer, while providing much hope and optimism, have now been discredited and/or retracted following overwhelming evidence that (1) numerous patient cohorts from around the world are XMRV-negative, (2) the initial reports of XMRV-positive patients were due to contamination with mouse DNA, XMRV plasmid DNA, or virus from the 22Rv1 cell line and (3) XMRV is a laboratory-derived virus generated in the mid 1990s through recombination during passage of a prostate tumor xenograft in immuno-compromised mice. While these developments are disappointing to scientists and patients, they provide a valuable road map of potential pitfalls to the would-be microbe hunters.
authors: Viral Mutation Section, NCI, HIV DRP, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States.
authors: Krista
authors: K
authors: Delviks-Frankenberry
authors: Oya
authors: O
authors: Cingöz
authors: John M
authors: JM
authors: Coffin
authors: Vinay K
authors: VK
authors: Pathak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059018:DNA Contamination; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D058008:Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology