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Human herpesviruses 6 and 7 in chronic fatigue syndrome: a case-control study.
Reeves WC, Stamey FR, Black JB, Mawle AC, Stewart JA, Pellett PE.Human herpesviruses 6 and 7 in chronic fatigue syndrome: a case-control study.
Clin Infect Dis 31:48-52, 2000.
Summary
Some investigators have reported that CFS patients are more likely to have altered responses to human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) infection than controls. In this study we found that all CFS cases and matched controls had equivalent levels of antibody to HHV-6 types A or B as controls (all had been infected at some time in the past). We also measured HHV-6 A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7 DNA in the cases and their matched controls and found no difference.
Abstract
We conducted this study to determine if infection with HHV-6A, B, or HHV-7 differed between CFS patients and controls. We recruited 26 patients and 52 non-fatigued matched controls from Atlanta. Sera were tested by EIA for seroreactivity against HHV-6 and all were seropositive. Lymphocyte specimens were cocultivated with cord lymphocytes and assayed for HHV-6 and HHV-7 and neither was isolated. Finally, lymphocytes were tested by three PCR methods for HHV-6A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7 DNA. Seventeen (22.4%) had HHV-6A or HHV-6B DNA and there were no significant differences (matched analyses) between cases (3, 11.5%) and controls (14, 28%). Fourteen persons had HHV-7 DNA and although controls (12 of 50, 24%) were more likely to be positive than cases (2 of 26, 7.7%) the difference was not statistically significant. We found no evidence that active or latent infection with HHV-6A, HHV-6B, or HHV-7 or any combination is associated with CFS.
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