Syndrome Perhaps Found
Scientists near the epicenter of one of the largest known outbreaks or epidemics of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have published an astounding finding: about two-thirds of people with CFS have traces of a novel virus, XMRV. Only about 3% of those without CFS have traces of XMRV in their tissue. The investigators suspect about 100% of people with CFS actually have this virus in them.
If the findings hold up, chronic fatigue syndrome will suddenly cease to be a problem of the mind, but will be known as an infection, a retroviral infection. The only proven retroviral infection in humans is HIV. But it seems very likely that reflects our ignorance and that retroviruses play a much larger role in human life than we know.
What follows is my current understanding of retroviruses, a group of germs it looks like we better learn much more about.
The Basics About Viruses
If XMRV is the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, then we will have an example of the retroviral process interfering with neurological function.
Clearly, the retroviruses can cause havoc in important functions of the body, including how cells grow, how the immune system works, and perhaps how the brain functions.
Remember that retroviruses leave their traces in the cell’s DNA? That leads to one of their most striking properties. Over the course of the last 3 or so billion years, retroviruses have left their DNA traces on essentially all living cells. It turns out viruses have been around nearly as long as life. Back when life on Earth was only single-celled organisms, essentially bacteria, viruses were already infecting cells. Retroviruses were there all along as well, and their viral DNA has been passed along the generations of life.
- They have to create and then insert viral DNA into the cell’s DNA without killing it.
- This leads to persistence of their DNA sequences if the changes enter into reproducing cells.
- Retroviral infections tend to be permanent changes in our DNA.
- They do not kill cells, only change their function enough to reproduce.
- The changes in function lead to a wide variety of sometimes very interesting, sometimes very upsetting changes in the organism’s functions. So far we know that retroviruses can:
- Create placentas
- Cause cancer (many, many examples in animals, perhaps prostate in humans)
- Cause failure of the immune system
- Cause alterations in neurologic function, e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome
As you might guess, we know very, very little about retroviruses. So far about 7 families of retrovirus have been identified in humans and animals.
BOTTOM LINE:
It is not yet proven that XMRV causes chronic fatigue syndrome. The initial evidence is compelling, but compelling evidence has proven not to be proof in other situations.
Most upsetting, we cannot offer new, novel therapies for chronic fatigue syndrome just yet. We first have to find out if XMRV is an actual cause, and then find out how to stop or reverse its effect.
But, the discovery that a gamma retrovirus, XMRV (Xeno Murine Retro Virus, i.e., unusual rat retrovirus) may cause chronic fatigue syndrome opens a new door of understanding, and for the first time, hope for prevention and cure for this serious malady.
I suspect, that as we learn more about retroviruses, we will find that there are alot more of them in humans than we thought, and that their impact may include not just dread diseases, but some fairly vital side impacts (like forming placentas) as well.
I will keep this web site updated as we learn more about the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, and retroviruses.
Dr. Lavin
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