LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR INFECTION WITH KNOWN HUMAN AND ANIMAL RETROVIRUSES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

We investigated 21 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome who were ide ntified through the surveillance system of the Centers for Disease Con trol and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for the presence of several human and animal retroviruses. In addition, we evaluated 21 CDC employee co ntrols matched with the patients for age (+/-5 years), gender, and rac e. The viruses tested included human T-lymphotropic viruses types I an d II; human spuma retrovirus; simian T-lymphotropic virus type I; simi an retroviruses types 1, 2, and 3; bovine leukemia virus; feline leuke mia virus; and gibbon ape leukemia virus. Samples of peripheral blood lymphocytes and leukocytes from patients and controls were analyzed in a blinded fashion for retroviral sequences; polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification assays and Southern blot hybridization to P-32-la beled internal oligoprobes were used. All PCR assays were optimized fo r maximal sensitivity on respective infected cell lines or plasmids, a nd sensitivity controls were included in each experiment. All samples from patients and controls were negative for the tested retroviral seq uences. Our data indicate that none of these retroviruses plays an eti ologic role or is a cofactor in the chronic fatigue syndrome illnesses of our study population.