Why XMRV is a new human infection and NOT laboratory contamination

Baraniuk JN., Georgetown University, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007-2197, USA. baraniuj@georgetown.edu

Abstract
Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) is a gamma retrovirus that has been associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and prostate cancer. The search for viral causes of these syndromes was reignited by the finding that RNase L activity was low in hereditary prostate cancer and some CFS patients.

The six strains of XMRV that have been sequenced have greater than 99% identity, indicating a new human infection rather than laboratory contamination.

DNA, RNA, and proteins from XMRV have been detected in 50% to 67% of CFS patients and in about 3.7% of healthy controls. XMRV infections could be transmitted to permissive cell lines from CFS plasma, suggesting the potential for communicable and blood-borne spread of the virus and potentially CFS.

This troubling concept is currently under intense evaluation.

The most important steps now are to independently confirm the initial findings; develop reliable assays of biomarkers;

and to move on to investigations of XMRV pathophysiology and treatment in CFS, prostate cancer, and potentially other virus-related syndromes, if they exist.