A new study suggests that a low-level central nervous system (CNS) infection could play a role in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) particularly in relation to cognitive and mood related symptoms.

The study conducted at Jikei University Medical School in Tokyo, Japan, has identified a novel human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) protein present in ME/CFS patients which they did not find in healthy controls. They believe it may contribute to cognitive and psychological symptoms often associated with ME/CFS as well as other chronic illnesses.

Common symptoms of ME/CFS which are most likely to have a direct link to the activity of the HHV-6 virus include poor concentration, short-term memory loss, mental exhaustion and depression.

Dr. Kondo, who conducted the study and has spent 20 years trying to identify the latent protein responsible for chronic CNS disease and mood disorders said at a recent conference that the "causes of many chronic diseases are unknown and chronic viral infection is one of the most suspected candidates."

Other researchers speaking at the same conference presented findings which support Dr. Kondo's work. Jose Montoya from Stanford University reported that the antiviral drug Valcyte, shown to be effective against HHV-6, resulted in an improvement in the cognitive functioning of ME/CFS patients, but was less effective at tackling the physical fatigue. According to Dr. Kondo, drugs like Valcyte combat active replication but can't completely control low-level smoldering. "To cure the diseases, we have to reduce the latently infected virus or prevent its reactivation," he explained.

Dr. Kondo identified the protein associated with latent (non-replicating) HHV-6-infected nervous system and immune cells and found that antibodies against it were present in 71% of /MECFS patients with psychological symptoms and none of the healthy controls he tested. Further tests indicated that 53% of depression and 76% of bipolar depression patients possessed the antibody.

Researchers have suspected that central nervous system infections could contribute to psychological and central nervous system disorders, and patients with CFS have a much higher than average rate of depression. This virus spreads cell-to-cell instead of releasing viral particles into the bloodstream. This has hampered efforts to demonstrate that the virus plays a role in CNS disease.

"This virus persists in the brain and other tissues, but not the blood, which is where investigators have looked," says Kristin Loomis, Executive Director of the HHV-6 Foundation. "Indeed, standard serum PCR DNA for direct evidence of the virus are useless," she added. New ultra-sensitive assays are under development, she reports, "but currently the best way to identify patients with smoldering HHV-6 infection is to look for elevated IgG antibody titers."

Dharam Ablashi, the co-discoverer of the HHV-6 virus, and the HHV-6 Foundation's Scientific Director warns that the test won't be available in the near future. "It may take years to get the assay validated and into commercial production, but will be worth the wait. This assay could identify large numbers of patients with CNS dysfunction who could benefit from antiviral treatment. The HHV-6 Foundation is working hard to help scientists like Dr. Kondo develop better assays," says Ablashi.

Source: HHV-6 Foundation

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written by sarah, June 29, 2008

sounds like rubbish to me i wonder whos behind this one. M.E NOT chronic fatigue IS NOT a mood or psychological disorder and our symptoms mainly consist of those related to flu. yes there can be memory loss but this is just another push to get M.E classified under mental health so the NHS get more money! do not listen to this garbage its not true!!

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written by Maff, June 30, 2008

Hi Sarah, as stated in the article the HHV-6 Foundation is behind this research. As far as I am aware they have no agenda with regards to suggesting ME/CFS is a psychological illness, far from it. The presence of antibodies against the HHV-6 virus demonstrates that it is actually a physical illness which is at least in part infectious in nature. As someone who has suffered from ME/CFS for 17 years (since the age of 11) I can say absolutely that this illness has many deleterious affects on the mind including those the researchers mentioned. I find that the mental exhaustion is at least as bad as the physical exhaustion and I know I am not alone. This research may only be a small part of the puzzle but any new lead is good news!

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written by Lisa1970, June 30, 2008

I have been suffering since around 9 that I can remember. I don't think I feel that this is a mental illnes, because my mind is sharp and I do KNOW what is going on, but as I have gotten older I have felt the memory lapse issues...Of course the mental physical exhaustion was incredibly difficult to deal with while I was in the military.

I have sought help at various points in my life and doctors did tell me it was all in my head...idiots...but with recent advances and understanding I think doctors are getting better.

If it is true that part of the illness might be infectious by nature...and there might be REAL treatment...I don't care how they clssify it...I will take it to have a chance at a'normal' life.

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written by sarah, June 30, 2008

I agree totally about the facts that brain fog etc counts as "mental" but they are bringing depression etc in almost saying its part of the problem giving amunition to doctors to push it under mental. i cant count how many times ive had to sit and have "CBT" therapy.. pointless. they are not dealing with the primary symptoms of pain headache stomach aches muscle weakness etc which is far more debilitating overall. just another excuse to put another drug into the pharmaceutical industry and make money, which I might add is the 4th biggest killer in America (correctly prescribed drugs, which are even more harmful long term if they are things like mental health drugs ie prozac.)

http://www.hackcanada.com/canadian/freedom/mary_croft.pdf

look up nigel speight ! atleast he has a brain and knows what it is.

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written by Deborah, October 23, 2008

I have HHV6 and all the mental symptoms described as well as neurological, fatigue. The deregulation of my endocrine system (as well as others) caused massive anxiety symptoms, mood swings etc. Treatment besides antivirals and immune modulation needs to also address these system desruptions / deregulation.

I have significantly improved with antiviral therapy and vitamin/mineral therapy to counteract how it affected brain, endocrine, neural etc etc....... it has significantly helped but like the researchers discuss, my immune system is now messed up and I cant stop the antiviral therapy or it all comes back - immune modulating therapy is needed to help us fight the virus

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written by AZSkye, August 19, 2009

Infection by the HHV-6 virus is certainly possible. Just because the author seems to emphasize the "mental" aspects doesn't mean that the CAUSE is mental - it is physical due to a virus. As my daughter works towards her PhD in virology, I have discovered that viruses can cause extensive damage to our body, some in ways we cannot accurately measure at this time, especially as it varies from person to person.

I was suffering from pleurisy and pneumonia when I first contracted CFS/Fibro. I knew it within several days, and that was 14 years ago. I knew then that I had been exposed to another virus, but no one believed me until about 5 years ago. My disability insurance co. has denied my benefits several times, as they are convinced that it is a mental disorder, and I am now in court trying to win them back. Articles like this are helpful in the sense that the blame is viral in cause, the rest are just symptoms!

Remember, we have numerous "symptoms," but the focus of any discussion should be on the physiological causes.

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