ME/CFS South Australia Inc: Epstein-Barr Virus May Be Turning On Pathogenic Genes In ME/CFS

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Epstein-Barr Virus May Be Turning On Pathogenic Genes In ME/CFS

Wednesday 17 July 2019

Epstein-Barr Virus May Be Turning On Pathogenic Genes in ME/CFS

By Cort Johnson
June 29, 2019
Copyright 2019 Simmaron Research.

If there was ever a “prodigal virus” in ME/CFS it would surely be the Epstein-barr virus (EBV). Since the first EBV ME/CFS study 1984 no less than 51 ME/CFS or post-infectious viral studies have featured either Epstein-Barr virus or infectious mononucleosis in their titles. (That leaves out a considerable number of viral and immunological studies which didn’t put EBV in their titles.) While hypotheses of chronic viral reactivation in ME/CFS have lost favor the virus is too complex, too fascinating, and simply too problematic for it not to continue to be studied.

A PubMed search brings up over 500 EBV citations associated with multiple sclerosis and over 30,000 citations associated with the virus. To get an indication of how broad EBV research continues to be – one of the latest EBV studies determined if the stress of space flights results in increased levels of EBV reactivation in astronauts. (It did and they advised astronauts to stay away from immunocompromised individuals upon return home…)

The research community clearly continues to find EBV – one of the few viruses our bodies are unable to kick out – a fascinating and important topic. Check out the first in a series of two blogs on EBV’s possible contributions to ME/CFS.