UK XMRV STUDY

UK XMRV Study

WPI started a study in March 2010 to look for HMRV (Human MLV Related Viruses - both X and P) in UK ME/CFS patients.

The study included 50 patients with ME who met the Canadian Consensus Critera, 50% male and 50% female, along with 50 controls.

It was a blind study.

The 100 samples were tested blindly by two labs who had never worked with MRV or mice (to ensure there was no possibility of contamination).

The labs first tested plasma and 48% of the ME plasma samples were positive for XMRV (all were also tested for mouse DNA and were negative).

Other samples were detectable only after culturing (some sort of special sample preparation).

In some samples, only the virus was detectable; on others, only the antibodies were detectable.

Multiple testing methods were necessary in order to find all of the XMRV positive samples.

In all, 80% of the ME patients in the study were positive for XMRV.

4% of the controls were also positive for XMRV (in line with the original WPI study).

Dr. Mikovitz emphasized that the XMRV was very difficult to find.

They have learned that subtle differences in storage, handling, and testing make a big difference and that multiple methods must be used to find it all.

The above was from Learning to Live with CFS blog here

Read her full post at the above link.