CONSEQUENCES OF LIVE POLIOVIRUS VACCINE ADMINISTRATION IN CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

The effect of live oral polio virus vaccination on chronic fatigue syn drome (CFS) patients was examined in a double-blind study. CFS patient s were allocated randomly to placebo (N = 7) or vaccine (N = 7) condit ions. All control subjects received the vaccine (9). Vaccine administr ation was not associated with clinical exacerbation of CFS, However, o bjective responses to the vaccine revealed differences between patient s and controls: increased poliovirus isolation, earlier peak prolifera tive responses, lower T-cell subsets on certain days post vaccination and a trend for reduced gamma-interferon in the CFS-vaccine group. Pol io vaccination was not found to be clinically contraindicated in CFS p atients, however, there was evidence of altered immune reactivity and virus clearance.