Thaindian News

By Madhuri Dey
Aug 24, (THAINDIAN NEWS) A study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has raised intriguing questions about a possible link between mouse virus and the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The study carried out by a group of federal researchers has found the presence of mouse virus, XMRV in 86 percent of the patients who have reported chronic fatigue syndrome. However, the researchers have declined to draw a conclusion from their study and held that much more work in the area is needed to find cause behind the chronic fatigue syndrome which continues to be a mystery.

As per the published data, the researchers have found traces of murine leukemia virus-related viruses (MLVs) in the blood samples of 32 of 37 CFS patients. On the other hand they found the presence of the MLVs in the blood samples of only three persons out of the total 44 healthy individuals it collected blood samples from. The MLVs in general cause leukemia or cancer in mice but it is not known for sure whether it causes the same in human beings. The doctors all over the world have still not been able to find the exact reason behind the chronic fatigue syndrome that is characterized by incapacitating fatigue, chronic joint pains and other symptoms that can increase and decrease over time.

The report concluded that it has not carried out the study on enough people and that it further studies should try to find out whether the same string association between MLVs and the CFS is found in other group of patients. It maintained that one needs to find out whether the same viruses play a “causative” role the development of CFS in human beings and possess potential threat to the blood supply in human body.