T. Nakaya et al., Borna disease virus infection in two family clusters of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, MICROB IMMU, 43(7), 1999, pp. 679-689
A high rate of Borna disease virus (BDV) infection has been demonstrated in
patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Herein, we focused on BDV in
fection in two family clusters of patients with CFS: a father, mother, two
sons and one daughter (family #1); and a father, mother, two daughters and
one son (family #2). All members, except for the elder son in family #1 and
the father and son in family #2, were diagnosed with CFS, The results supp
orted that all the family members with CFS were infected with BDV, as evide
nced by the presence of antibodies to viral p40, p24 and/or gp18 and BDV p2
4 RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The healthy members, except fo
r the father of family #2 who was positive for antibody to p24, were all ne
gative by both assays. Follow-up studies in family #1 continued to reveal B
DV antibodies and BDV RNA, except in the mother, who lost the RNA upon slig
ht recovery from the disease.