Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Immunoassays

In 2009, Lombardi et al. reported their startling finding that the gammaretrovirus xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related retrovirus (XMRV) is present in 67% of blood samples of patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as opposed to only 3.7% of samples from healthy individuals. Ho...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Brendan Oakes, Xiaoxing Qiu, Susan Levine, John Hackett, Brigitte T. Huber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2011-01-01
Series:Advances in Virology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/854540
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850159805065330688
author Brendan Oakes
Xiaoxing Qiu
Susan Levine
John Hackett
Brigitte T. Huber
author_facet Brendan Oakes
Xiaoxing Qiu
Susan Levine
John Hackett
Brigitte T. Huber
author_sort Brendan Oakes
collection DOAJ
description In 2009, Lombardi et al. reported their startling finding that the gammaretrovirus xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related retrovirus (XMRV) is present in 67% of blood samples of patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as opposed to only 3.7% of samples from healthy individuals. However, we and others could not confirm these results, using a nested PCR assay. An alternative to this highly sensitive, but contamination-prone, technique is to measure the serological response to XMRV. Thus, we tested the plasma samples from our cohorts of CFS patients and healthy controls for the presence of XMRV-specific antibodies. Using two novel chemiluminescence immunoassays (CMIAs), we show that none of our samples have any XMRV-reactive antibodies. Taken together with our previous findings, we conclude that XMRV is not present in any human individual tested by us, regardless of CFS or healthy control.
format Article
id doaj-art-b53555e5185c474fb174006627c7a2c8
institution OA Journals
issn 1687-8639
1687-8647
language English
publishDate 2011-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Advances in Virology
spelling doaj-art-b53555e5185c474fb174006627c7a2c82025-08-20T02:23:23ZengWileyAdvances in Virology1687-86391687-86472011-01-01201110.1155/2011/854540854540Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence ImmunoassaysBrendan Oakes0Xiaoxing Qiu1Susan Levine2John Hackett3Brigitte T. Huber4Pathology Department, Tufts University School of Medicine, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, USAInfectious Diseases R&D, Abbott Diagnostics, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064, USAPrivate Practice, 115 East 72nd Street, New York, NY 10021, USAInfectious Diseases R&D, Abbott Diagnostics, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064, USAPathology Department, Tufts University School of Medicine, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, USAIn 2009, Lombardi et al. reported their startling finding that the gammaretrovirus xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related retrovirus (XMRV) is present in 67% of blood samples of patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as opposed to only 3.7% of samples from healthy individuals. However, we and others could not confirm these results, using a nested PCR assay. An alternative to this highly sensitive, but contamination-prone, technique is to measure the serological response to XMRV. Thus, we tested the plasma samples from our cohorts of CFS patients and healthy controls for the presence of XMRV-specific antibodies. Using two novel chemiluminescence immunoassays (CMIAs), we show that none of our samples have any XMRV-reactive antibodies. Taken together with our previous findings, we conclude that XMRV is not present in any human individual tested by us, regardless of CFS or healthy control.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/854540
spellingShingle Brendan Oakes
Xiaoxing Qiu
Susan Levine
John Hackett
Brigitte T. Huber
Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Immunoassays
Advances in Virology
title Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Immunoassays
title_full Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Immunoassays
title_fullStr Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Immunoassays
title_full_unstemmed Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Immunoassays
title_short Failure to Detect XMRV-Specific Antibodies in the Plasma of CFS Patients Using Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Immunoassays
title_sort failure to detect xmrv specific antibodies in the plasma of cfs patients using highly sensitive chemiluminescence immunoassays
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/854540
work_keys_str_mv AT brendanoakes failuretodetectxmrvspecificantibodiesintheplasmaofcfspatientsusinghighlysensitivechemiluminescenceimmunoassays
AT xiaoxingqiu failuretodetectxmrvspecificantibodiesintheplasmaofcfspatientsusinghighlysensitivechemiluminescenceimmunoassays
AT susanlevine failuretodetectxmrvspecificantibodiesintheplasmaofcfspatientsusinghighlysensitivechemiluminescenceimmunoassays
AT johnhackett failuretodetectxmrvspecificantibodiesintheplasmaofcfspatientsusinghighlysensitivechemiluminescenceimmunoassays
AT brigittethuber failuretodetectxmrvspecificantibodiesintheplasmaofcfspatientsusinghighlysensitivechemiluminescenceimmunoassays