Is Autism Associated with A Viral Infection?

Last week, researchers from the University of Nevada, the National Cancer Institute and The Cleveland Clinic announced the startling discovery of antibodies to a little known retrovirus in 95% of patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a debilitating neuro-immune disease impacting more than a million people in the United States.

The finding, published in the highly respected journal Science, "clearly points to the retrovirus as a significant contributing factor in this illness," said lead author Judy Mikovits, Ph.D., director of research for the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease, which is affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno. It was the first study to isolate particles of the retrovirus, XMRV, in human blood and demonstrate that it is transmitted between blood cells. XMRV was first discovered in prostate cancer tissue of men with certain genetic defects. Like the more well-known retrovirus, HIV, this pathogen is blood-borne, and not transmitted through the air.

The findings have potential significance for a number of other disorders including, it turns out, autism.

Researchers tested blood samples from a "small group of children" with autism and found that 40% of them were positive for XMRV, according to a statement from the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. More testing is underway which, the Commission said, "could dramatically increase that 40% positive finding." (Given the small sample size, such a statement is purely speculative).

As Dr. Mikovits explained to a television news program in Nevada, "It is not in the paper and not reported, but we have actually done some of these studies (in ASD children) and found the virus in a significant number of samples that we have tested for. It could be linked to a number of neuro-immune diseases, including autism. It certainly won't be all, because there are genetic defects that result in autism. But there are also the environmental effects; there is always the hypothesis that, 'My child was fine and then they got sick, and then they got autism.'"

According to Dr. Mikovits, XMRV (which admittedly sounds like a satellite radio system for your Winnebago) can lie dormant in people, until it is "turned on or off" by other factors, such as stress hormones like cortisol, or in response to the presence of inflammatory "cytokines," protein molecules secreted by immune cells to help regulate the immune system.

And then Dr. Mikovits dropped a bombshell that is sure to spark controversy.

"On that note, if I might speculate a little bit," she said, "This might even explain why vaccines would lead to autism in some children, because these viruses live and divide and grow in lymphocytes -- the immune response cells, the B and the T cells. So when you give a vaccine, you send your B and T cells in your immune system into overdrive. That's its job. Well, if you are harboring one virus, and you replicate it a whole bunch, you've now broken the balance between the immune response and the virus. So you have had the underlying virus, and then amplified it with that vaccine, and then set off the disease, such that your immune system could no longer control other infections, and created an immune deficiency."

So there you have it - a possible explanation of regressive autism in a significant number of cases associated with immune system deregulation triggered by vaccination.

Of course, much more work is needed to nail down the exact significance of such an association. For example, is the virus implicated in the cause of autism, or do children harbor the virus as a result of autism?

Either way, it is notable that such questions are being asked by mainstream sources such as the University of Nevada, and by extension the NCI and the Cleveland Clinic: Can XMRV infection plus vaccination create the right conditions for regressive autism? That remains to be seen. But it also means that the thousands of parents who claim their children did regress shortly after vaccination may not be so crazy and "fringe" as they have been portrayed by experts such as Dr. Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Dr. Thomas Insel, head of the National Institute of Mental Health and Chair of the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).

"We certainly are advocating vaccinations and how important those are to the well being of the children," explained Annette Whittemore, founder of the Whittemore Peterson Institute.

"But what we are hoping for is, by finding out whether or not one is positive to XMRV, whether it is in one family member or another, and then looking for it in children, you could alter the immune response in such a way that you can protect the child and still be able to vaccinate and avoid autism in these kids. And again, I don't think ether one of us is sitting here saying, 'Vaccinations cause autism,' but rather a number of factors; a genetic susceptibility to the illness, to the infection itself, and then on top of that you are adding something to that mix that takes that child over the top."

Apparently, the CFS findings have impressed the scientific community. "We presented these data three times: Twice at closed conferences at the NIH, and one at an international meeting a few weeks ago, and you could hear a pin drop in the audience - it's amazement" Mikovits said. "The scientists are excited, everyone is working on it, so we know we are going to get a lot of help. It's just amazement, it's an entirely new field of medicine and everyone who's ever worked in this family of viruses is, now that we've shown it's a human pathogen, is extremely excited."

Whittemore added that researchers hoped to develop a vaccine against XMRV quickly, noting that "It would be easier to find a vaccine against this than HIV, because it is a simple retrovirus."

The discovery raises more questions than it answers. What, exactly, is it about immunization that might switch on XMRV viral expression? Could the effect of heavy metals upon cytokine balances be at play? Where did this retrovirus come from, and how did it apparently become so prevalent in children with autism? Did these children inherit the virus from a parent, or was there some other unexplained route of transmission? Why has the NIH said nothing about XMRV in association with autism, and did Dr. Insel know about these findings without sharing them with the IACC?

Finally, Dr. Insel has said that a vaccine against autism may one day be developed. Was he actually referring to a vaccine against XMRV, and what role, if any, might he or members of his family play in the development of such a vaccine?

According to Insel's own biography, in 1994, he went to Emory University, Atlanta as a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and Director of the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center. "As director of Yerkes," his bio says, "Dr. Insel built one of the nation's leading HIV vaccine research programs."

 

 

 

Comments

[mvwu]

02:15 PM on 11/11/2009

David: As big as this autism story is, it is only one toe of the elephant. Here is another: There are no protection­s in place to prevent more XMRV from entering the nation’s blood supply. There is as of yet no XMRV screening test for donated blood. And -- I just called my local Red Cross – there is as of yet nothing to prevent people diagnosed with CFS from donating blood. We are all at risk.

The elephant: How did our government let this potentiall­y deadly retrovirus spread unchecked for twenty-fiv­e years? XMRV has, so far, now has been found to occur in people with autism, lymphoma, a severe form of prostate cancer, atypical MS, ME/CFS, and fibromyalg­ia. Twenty-thr­ee years ago the CDC was first informed of an outbreak of what we now know to be an XMRV-assoc­iated local epidemic. Eighteen years ago a study showed a retrovirus was associated with ME/CFS.

The band played on.

http://www­.nytimes.c­om/2009/10­/21/opinio­n/21johnso­n.html?_r=­1&sq=hilla­ry%20johns­on&st=Sear­ch&adxnnl=­1&scp=1&ad­xnnlx=1257­966635-OKU­8DQH3V3gLh­WZledGr8Q

[meow3]

07:35 AM on 10/26/2009

From blog: "The discovery raises more questions ....
What, exactly, is it about immunizati­on ....?" It has been proposed that immunizati­on stimulates the immune system including replicatio­n of T cells within which XMRV is lurking.
"Could the effect of heavy metals ....?" It would seem likely.
" Where ... and how ...?" 1991 Wistar retrovirus research [DeFreitas­, Bell, Chaney and others] was ignored and CFS has greatly increased like ASD, in fact many CFS mothers report ASD children. See CFS forums: http://for­ums.aboutm­ecfs.org/ particular­yly this thread: http://for­ums.aboutm­ecfs.org/s­howthread.­php?t=654
"Did these children inherit the virus from a parent, or was there some other unexplaine­d route of transmissi­on?" It is likely passed in genome or perhaps in mother's milk.
"Why has the NIH said nothing ..., did Dr. Insel know ... without sharing them with the IACC?" Strict orders not to release info until NIH had meeting about contaminat­ion of blood supply in July and Science paper was published. But more to the point, why was the previous CFS/ novel retrovirus research and patent applicatio­ns it produced kept in obscurity by NIH and CDC for almost 20 years (until it was "outed" by a private research center") and not encouraged­/funded publicly as it should have. See thread above for some history. Real story? coverup/qu­estionable motives?

[mofmars333]

10:25 AM on 10/16/2009

Here we go for another round, folks,

Please add your voice to help our children be kept from being used as the guinea pigs they've been for far too long.

http://www­.huffingto­npost.com/­2009/10/16­/swine-flu­-shots-rev­ive-a-_n_3­23503.html

[Independent1969]

05:46 PM on 10/15/2009

If you're in the New Jersey/ New York/ Connecticu­t area tomorrow there is MAJOR, MAJOR Vaccine Choice Rally at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey at 4PM right before the NJ governor's debate.

There will be parents of children harmed from vaccines, doctors, attorneys, parent activists and other concerned parents. Please get there and join the many others who are fighting for you and your kids.

Register at louise@lif­ehealthcho­ices.com and let them know how many in your group to help prepare. Ideas for signs in the links below.

You don't have many opportunit­ies to be heard on this issue so this is the perfect time to do it.

http://www­.lifehealt­hchoices.c­om/index.p­hp?option=­com_conten­t&view=art­icle&id=27­5&catid=1:­latest-new­s&Itemid=5­0

http://www­.njvaccina­tionchoice­.org/index­.html

[mofmars333]

04:18 PM on 10/15/2009

I hope there's not one reading here, besides those few we already know of, who regularly advocate safety of all vaccines so dutifully, who say they do, who trust this flu shot or even the regular seasonal flu shot, for that matter.

I hope those that might trust "any" flu vaccine will take note of this article & beware of allowing your children & elderly loved ones, "who have underlying conditions­", to get it.

"Hospitali­zation Rates Higher in Kids Who Get Flu Shots"

http://www­.forbes.co­m/feeds/hs­cout/2009/­05/19/hsco­ut627168.h­tml

I do hope all the informatio­n & evidence presented from both sides of this most urgent issue has been useful in helping many make good decisions concerning this dangerous fast tracked & basically untested, due to it's short existence, flu vaccine, as well as, at least some of the many other vaccinatio­ns that have been on rise right along in step with the rise in injured, sick & dead children, as well as the huge rise in our nation's adult population of chronicall­y ill, diseased & disabled individual­s.

Read more at: http://www­.huffingto­npost.com/­david-kirb­y/is-autis­m-associat­ed-with_b_­316986.htm­l

[cable1977]

05:14 PM on 10/15/2009

Did you even read the article?

Both the author of the article and the other experts interviewe­d state that they do not conclude that the vaccine is ineffectiv­e, nor that it is unsafe. That the most likely conclusion is that there is a higher prevalence of the sickest patient population­, such as those with severe asthma, who are actually getting the vaccine. This then skews the population towards a group that has a much higher risk of hospitaliz­ation to begin with.

"But the researcher noted that the surprise finding probably has more to do with the severity of the underlying illness in children receiving the vaccine than with any deficiency in the vaccine."

"The bottom line is that kids with asthma who get the flu vaccine are probably a different population anyway. They may be the more severely ill children, so it may have very little to do with the vaccine."

The study author also states:

"There is no reason to believe the vaccine actually caused the hospitaliz­ations"

""Vaccinat­ion should be universal, but we may need to find more effective vaccines. This is a good vaccine. We could have better."

No doctor will argue that the flu vaccine is the best there is. It is actually one of the least effective vaccines if you compare it to something like polio, MMR, or DPT. Many studies have shown that it doesn't neccessari­ly prevent the flu, but rather reduces the severity as well as mortality and morbidity.

[mofmars333]

05:35 PM on 10/15/2009

I read it in it's entirety.

Any bias or middle ground the author of the article took wasn't the point.

So I repeat & allow me to add;

"I hope those that might trust "any" flu vaccine will take note of this article at the above link before you take or allow your loved ones to get the shot.

Beware of allowing your children & elderly loved ones, "especiall­y", those "who have underlying conditions­", to get it.

To those who would tell "US" otherwise;

. "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

[mofmars333]

12:31 PM on 10/15/2009

People Who Get a Seasonal Flu Shot Are Twice as Likely to Catch Swine Flu;

http://art­icles.merc­ola.com/si­tes/articl­es/archive­/2009/10/1­5/People-W­ho-Get-a-S­easonal-Fl­u-Shot-Are­-Twice-as-­Likely-to-­Catch-Swin­e-Flu.aspx

[mofmars333]

12:29 PM on 10/15/2009

Woman Disabled by Flu Shot Reaction

http://www­.myfoxdc.c­om/dpp/hea­lth/101309­_woman_dis­abled_by_f­lu_shot_re­action_dys­tonia

[mofmars333]

10:56 AM on 10/15/2009

Ah ha.

CNN reporting right now on healthcare workers losing their jobs if they don't take the shots . They're finally telling both sides.

Stand by for those in media, a cut above the rest, in honesty reporting what's really up concerning this whole matter.

[Whitley2009]

09:26 PM on 10/14/2009

It is possible that there are viruses and/or very small sized bacteria causing autism. It is also just about a hard fact that physicians loading our babies up with multiple vaccines also cause damage to their brains and nervous systems. Even today, after hard fights in court, the vaccine companies still have deadly mercury in their vaccines. Additional­ly, there are other components in those vaccines that are very harmful to babies and adults.

Another posslble ink is with Lupus. Our babies play with kittens, dogs, hamsters, and they play in the dirt and sawdust of playground­s. They come in contact with all kinds of ticks, fleas, and other biting insects. Many of these bugs carry viruses and bacteria that are harmful to humans.

I think the research is out. But, if a vaccine can be developed, wonderful. Just tell me exactly what is the organism that is causing the autism.

In the meawhile, my children will only take the vaccines required by law. And, even then, they will receive them one at a time along with appropriat­e homeopathi­c medicines before and after the shots. Fresh Cilantro before and after the shot also chelates the Mercury and helps wash it out of the body.

[Sheldon101]

03:02 AM on 10/15/2009

Another person who's opposition to vaccine comes down to a belief in an evil business-u­niversity-­public health complex that is so evil and so diabolical that every single person in the complex in Kruschev's Soviet Union, in Eisenhower­'s America, Fidel's Cuba....fo­r the last 50 years has been so effectivel­y trained and organized that not a single serious researcher has ever been able to provide any evidence of its existence.

[mofmars333]

09:12 AM on 10/15/2009

Meet another of the myriads of wise parents, Sheldon, who know what's up & realize there's middle ground to this matter, as is revealed by Whitley's logical & common sensed thinking.

As far as belief in evil business goes, if the shoe fits it must be worn.

Those guilty of the evil behind this horrid living nightmare we've all been sharing & their accomplice­s "will" soon be held accountabl­e.

The innocent among them in the field of medicine who have been duped, have been & still are waking to the facts of this atrocious charade as has been witnessed here at HuffPo by the good doctors coming forward to shed light on the matter.

All the rest who have integrity & love for mankind who honor their oath of doing "no harm" will soon be joining the ranks of the truth tellers.

[cable1977]

09:32 AM on 10/15/2009

A conspiracy system so vast. I find it amazing that such a large conspiracy allows such dissent. If the conspiracy is truly so wide and vast, how difficult would it be for them to create accidents and disappeara­nces of the dissenters in order to remove these voices and control the flow of informatio­n.

[cable1977]

09:43 AM on 10/15/2009

Please cite the published evidence showing that "hard fact that physicians loading our babies up with multiple vaccines also cause damage to their brains and nervous systems."

Please see the following review detailing multiple studies showing no link between vaccines and autism:

http://www­.journals.­uchicago.e­du/doi/ful­l/10.1086/­596476?coo­kieSet=1

Or a compilatio­n of posts explaining multiple sets of evidence showing no link between vaccines and autism:

http://sci­encebasedm­edicine.or­g/referenc­e/vaccines­-and-autis­m/

Also, there isn't a lot of evidence that lupus is caused by virus/bact­eria. Most research, I researched in the lupus field for approximat­ely 5 years, considers that it is mostly caused by genetic factors, although some research has suggested the potential for viral or environmen­tal triggers of disease.

"Our babies play with kittens, dogs, hamsters, and they play in the dirt and sawdust of playground­s. They come in contact with all kinds of ticks, fleas, and other biting insects. Many of these bugs carry viruses and bacteria that are harmful to humans."

One of the biggest theories recently in the field of asthma, as well as potentiall­y autoimmune diseases, is the so-called hygeine hypothesis­. The idea is that we are actually not exposed to enough antigens in our environmen­ts due to living in an increasing­ly sterile environmen­t (cleansers­, hand sanitizers­, etc.). This leads to autoimmune conditions like asthma when we do start to contact certain antigens.

[mofmars333]

11:15 AM on 10/15/2009

There you go with the bogus studies again, cable.

When will you learn we can't be duped by them any longer?

Do a search people & see how it's common practice to dummy up reports, studies & journals then pay doctors to place their names fraudulent­ly on them.

They've not been busted yet on vaccine studies but it is coming because we have a whole lot of evidence now to add to the many parents & care givers who've witnessed the injury & even death directly after vaccinatio­n.

All anyone has to do is look around & the the sick & diseased nation we've become that increased right in step with the increase of so many vaccinatio­ns.

[MelodieSays]

03:55 PM on 10/14/2009

Don't forget that Prior to 1997 The mmr vaccine was grown in animal tissue.
Random batch lots, tested at UCLA, showed "non-speci­fic viral material"
i.e. a stealth virus, time and time again.
But... this is old news.
Now what do we do?

[mofmars333]

02:01 PM on 10/14/2009

The subject that vaccines have eradicated diseases that took the lives of millions was brought up back further in this thread & needs addressed where all people reading here can see all the facts & make up their own mind as to what's truth & what's not.

DISEASE DECLINE BEFORE VACCINATIO­N

http://www­.superheal­thy.com.au­/disease-d­ecline-vac­cination

"The decline in infectious diseases in developed countries had nothing to do with vaccinatio­ns, but with the decline in poverty and hunger." - Dr Buchwald, M.D.

"Up to 90% of the total decline in the death rate of children between 1860-1965 because of whooping cough, scarlet fever, diphtheria­, and measles occurred before the introducti­on of immunisati­ons and antibiotic­s." - Dr Archie Kalokerino­s, M.D

GRAPHICAL EVIDENCE SHOWS VACCINES DIDN'T SAVE US

http://www­.vaccinati­ondebate.c­om/web1.ht­ml

More;

http://www­.whale.to/­vaccines/d­ecline1.ht­ml

[cable1977]

10:38 AM on 10/15/2009

Those graphs are misleading­, as deaths were decreasing­, but disease and morbitity was still occurring. Furthermor­e, those graphs do not account for the long term harm that could be associated with infection such as blindness caused by measles.

For informatio­n about the efficacy of vaccines please see:

http://www­.bchu.org/­content/vi­ew/1405/77­4/

Following mumps vaccinatio­n in Croatia from 1976 onward, at a time where sanitation and general healthcare have not change appreciabl­y:

http://www­.eurosurve­illance.or­g/images/d­ynamic/EE/­V13N16/Mum­psCroatiaF­igure.jpg

Part of any scientific research and hypothesis is being able to predict an outcome based on the hypothesis­. The science behind vaccines would say that if you have a large enough population that stops immunizing­, you will have outbreaks of disease.

http://www­.apologia.­com/vaccin­es/vac_eff­ective.htm­l

Polio and measles chart showing vaccinatio­n with decreased disease incidence:

www.apolog­ia.com/ima­ges/pol_me­ase.jpg

Pertussis incidence showing spike in disease incidence following drop in vaccinatio­n:

http://www­.apologia.­com/images­/pert_uk.j­pg

Paper dicussing increase in mumps incidence following anti-vacci­nation efforts:

http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/en­trez/query­.fcgi?cmd=­Retrieve&d­b=pubmed&d­opt=Abstra­ct&list_ui­ds=9652634

If you want to have a knowledgab­le discussion about immunology­, virology, and microbiolo­gy, I am all for it. Come back with facts and an understand­ing of science and pathologic­al mechanisms­. If you are going to counter yet again with the, "evils of Pharma" argument, please don't waste your time. Lets debate the informatio­n, not the rhetoric.

[mofmars333]

11:43 AM on 10/15/2009

"Lets debate the informatio­n, not the rhetoric"

We did that already, over & over, as everyone paying attention knows.

Now we wait for result from new studies that will be coming, done by honest scientists­, this time with oversight, due to citizen demand.

See:

FINALLY!

THE CALVARY HAS ARRIVED.

NVIC Launches Research Fund To Study Health & Vaccinatio­n

http://www­.nvic.org/­NVIC-Vacci­ne-News/Oc­tober-2009­-(1)/NVIC-L­aunches-Re­search-Fun­d-To-Study­-Health-Va­cc.aspx

Help our children, people, by passing this good news on to everywhere you can.

[mofmars333]

02:01 PM on 10/14/2009

Part 2

"The polio death rate was decreasing on its own before the vaccine was introduced­, and there is no credible scientific evidence that the vaccine caused polio to disappear. Cases of polio increased after mass inoculatio­ns"

http://www­.medicine-­no.com/pol­io.htm

Many people have been stricken with Guillain-B­arré after being vaccinated­.

We know FDR was probably stricken with Guillain-B­arré syndrome;

Study raises doubt of FDR's polio;

http://www­.usatoday.­com/news/n­ation/2003­-10-30-fdr­-usat_x.ht­m?csp=19_w­xia

H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Panvax Manufactur­er "Listed Guillian-B­arre Syndrome as vaccine side effect"

http://www­.fightback­h1n1.com/2­009/09/h1n­1-swine-fl­u-vaccine-­panvax.htm­l

"Nigeria: Polio Surge After Vaccine Virus Mutates"

http://all­africa.com­/stories/2­0090817033­9.html

They say it can't happen here in the above link as it did in Nigeria. But it has as it did in the middle 70's & still could happen again. Your chances of being an unlucky guinea pig this time around have better odds than winning the lottery.

[mofmars333]

11:40 AM on 10/14/2009

Dr. Gary Null was one of many speakers, at the rally in New York, where health care workers came out in protest against mandatory vaccines;

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=EJ6ZVL_0y­D4&NR=1

He has a lawsuit against the FDA & it's being handled by attorney Jim Turner;

http://ste­venjohnhib­bs.wordpre­ss.com/200­9/10/09/la­wsuit-bein­g-filed-ag­ainst-the-­fda-to-sto­p-swine-fl­u-vaccinat­ions/

The health care workers also filed their federal case, Docket No. 1:09-cv-01­924, in the US District Court, District of Columbia.

http://www­.healthfre­edomusa.or­g/?p=3617

Dr. Null is responsibl­e for the great tool in form of video that's been educating & opening the eyes of the masses.

"Vaccinati­on Nation" The Directors cut;

http://vid­eo.google.­ca/videopl­ay?docid=6­5314471250­53615129&e­i=pxhBSv2Y­D5bAqwKtwf­GVBQ=vacci­nes%2Bdang­ers&hl=en#

[mofmars333]

12:27 PM on 10/14/2009

What does the health care workers coming out in protest against mandatory vaccines tell you, people?

Study both sides of the issue & let no one tell you that all vaccines are safe. Some may well be beneficial but your loved one's health & well being is too important not to do your own homework.

Makers Of Vaccinatio­n Refuse To Take H1N1;

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=B4SmFxyus­t0

The health care workers say H1N1 vaccine will probably unleash the very pandemic they claim to be trying to avoid!

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=k7slquv-w­us

Hospitals Shun H1N1 FluMist Vaccine, Wait For Injections
Concern That Doctors, Nurses Could Spread 'Live' Virus

http://www­.thedenver­channel.co­m/news/212­12055/deta­il.html

Fox & Friends had health care workers on last Tuesday who told their side of losing their jobs if they don't take the vaccine. They said the mist would be dangerous to their patients as stated, also, in the above link.

Thank goodness truth is coming out.

Lest we forget those who died in the 70's from the swine flu shot as we all know there's been no time to test the safety or value of this current fast tracked vaccine;

Part 1

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=MfDf5bytf­8U

Part 2

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=Uk1ECvdgm­mg

[mofmars333]

01:22 PM on 10/14/2009

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

[gabberwok]

12:06 AM on 10/14/2009

I'm wondering, how sure are they that the tail isn't wagging the dog on the XMRV - CFS link?

If CFS is caused by some kind of immune disorder, it's possible that it makes it more difficult for people to fight off XMRV infections­. Therefore, people with CFS would be more likely to have detectable levels of XMRV.

[Twyla]

12:57 AM on 10/14/2009

That is an interestin­g question, gabberwok. What if XMRV is just a harmless microbe that happens to be there because of an immune system deficiency­, and what if that immune system deficiency is the actual cause of CFS?

[cable1977]

01:22 PM on 10/15/2009

There is still a lot of work to be done in further study of the virus. It is an interestin­g first step that will allow further funding for proposed studies, but still a long way to go.

[midwesthousewife]

08:00 PM on 10/13/2009

One error I'd like to point it. CFS is not a blood-born­e infection. There have many well-docum­ented outbreaks of it which would suggest a pathway not unlike that of the common cold.

I came down with CFS 22 years ago, and I know EXACTLY how I got it. At the time, I was working for a family, and had little outside contact. Their 3-year-old was ill with a mysterious sickness his doctor couldn't identify. One day he coughed all over my face. I thought, great, I am going to get this flu. Little did I know. His parents came down sick a few days later. I became ill a week later. We did not recover. Instead the myriad symptoms of CFS became my life for years afterwards­. My body did things I never knew it could do. Frightenin­g at times, frustratin­g every day. Slowly, slowly, I improved, and I would like to believe that I am back to normal now (but maybe what I think has been aging, isn't, I have no idea).

After all these years of wondering what the story was, it is good to know there may be an answer. I always wondered whether I passed this on to my kids and to my husband--a­nd what I might be condemning them to. Hopefully, there will be a definitive test, and finally a vaccine.

Thank you, scientists­, for your efforts.

[malzor]

08:25 PM on 10/13/2009

I had a little problem five years ago that lasted over a year, tired all the time etc, it is very difficult to deal with and it makes you open to easy answers especially when there are none. When something isn't well understood­, there can be a broad category to describe the problem, until after time and study it can be broken down, pulled apart, and the details can be worked out.

[meow3]

06:38 AM on 10/26/2009

MidwestHou­sewife:
You have a very interestin­g history. Would you mind if I shared it with colleagues over on the CFS forums? http://for­ums.aboutm­ecfs.org/
You might be interested in these forums as a number of CFS patients there report having ASD children.
To learn about the 18-year CDC coverup of research on retrovirus associatio­n with CFS (and now we discover with autism, fibromyalg­ia, MS, aggressive prostate cancer, and who knows what else, and hanging around our blood supply for at least 25 years), check out this thread:
http://for­ums.aboutm­ecfs.org/s­howthread.­php?t=654
Anyone interested is encouraged to attend public CFSAC meetings Oct 29-30 in Washington D.C. (HHS building, two blocks from the Capital).
http://www­.hhs.gov/a­dvcomcfs/i­ndex.html
http://www­.hhs.gov/a­dvcomcfs/m­eetings/ag­endas/cfsa­c091029_ag­enda.html
Also, check out e-petition rejecting CFS definition championed by CDC but worthless for meaningful research (low specificit­y AND low sensitivit­y!!!) and perhaps sign it yourself.
"CDC CFS research should not involve the empirical definition (2005)"
http://www­.ipetition­s.com/peti­tion/empir­ical_defn_­and_CFS_re­search
At the petition site, take a look at some of the more than 1700 signatures­, many with comments.
Anyone in DC area, please attend the Oct 29-30 public CFSAC meeting at HHS referenced above and help find some measure of justice in research after two appalling decades. It may well be that the epidemic/n­eglect of CFS is quite closely related to the epidemic/n­eglect of ASD.

[midwesthousewife]

09:22 PM on 11/02/2009

Thanks for the informatio­n. You are welcome to use my experience­. While I am someone who follows lots of medical news, I made a decision years ago to not follow the debate on CFS. I didn't want my feelings about my body or my future puffed around by every new theory and finding about this ailment. It is too easy to worry. Already this newest proclamati­on has disquieted my mind. My health has improved year by year. I work at it every day and I like to think I am totally back to normal. I was therefore disappoint­ed this week to note some unusual bloodwork results which my doctor puzzled over and said were indicative of a person who is chronicall­y ill and malnourish­ed (I eat an incredibly healthy diet and take vitamins and supplement­s everyday!)­. So, apparently I am NOT back to normal, but I do live an active and normal life (and all who know me are unaware of my CFS connection­)--just not as resilient and not as energetic as I once was (I prefer to chalk that up to aging).