October/November 2007 (vol. 04/3)

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Research Plus

CFS link to stomach virus

Most chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) sufferers report persistent or intermittent gastrointestinal symptoms. The majority (82%) of stomach biopsies from CFS patients tested positive for enteroviral particles compared with only 20% from healthy controls. The presence of enteroviral protein, RNA and the growth of non-cytopathic viruses in the stomach tissue of CFS patients years after initial infection suggest an association between enteroviral persistence or infection and CFS. It is not yet possible to say if there is a causal relationship, but the finding may be important in diagnosis and may support the use of antiviral drug therapy in some patients.

Journal of Clinical Pathology 2007; online first: DOI 10.1136/jcp.2007.050054.  http://jcp.bmj.com/content/early/by/section

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Occupational Health at Work October/November 2007 (vol. 04/3) pp41