Borna disease virus infection in two family clusters of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

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.