Saturday, January 8, 2011

Initial findings from a yet-to-be publshed study

A recent study was done to assess the pathological state in various CFS patients, healthy patients, and a handful of patients given the drugs Viread and Isentress for 3 months. All CFS patients demonstrated elevated titres of at least one of: Varicella Zoster Virus, EBV, CMV, HHV-6, and HHV-7, and one patient with HHV-8 (Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Virus).  Either or both of Mycoplasma Incognitans or Chlamydia Pneumoniae was found with alarming prevalence in CFS patients, yet was found in remarkably low prevalence in healthy individuals.  In the small sample, viral titers began to fall 2 and 3 weeks after commencement of two antiretrovirals, and rapid declines in Mycoplasma Incognitans and Chlamydia pneumoniae  occured after 1 month.  It is of note that Mycoplasma Incognitans was once suspected of being behind the pathogenesis of CFS, and it turned out to be a false lead.  Although more subtle than in HIV patients (CMV retinitis is found in HIV patients), a pattern of immune dysfunction is seen in both CFS and HIV.  More news on January 17th.

10 comments:

  1. Any hints as of which study you are talking about??? I am curious!!! Want to know!!!

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  2. Thank you, Dr. Luckett. I am glad to see you posting here again, and I look forward to hearing more about this study.

    Patricia Carter
    XMRV+, 24 years M.E.
    www.mecfsforums.com

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  3. Very interesting. I am XMRV positive and I never properly recovered from mycoplasma pnuemonia many years ago.

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  4. Thank you for posting this. I have had M.E/C.F.S since having viral pneumonia 7 years ago and have since found out through a blood test that I have Mycoplasma and Chlamydia Pneumoniae. This all adds up for me!

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  5. Would love to hear about the side effects. Are these anti-virals as toxic as AZT?
    I'm XMRV positive and have hight titers for EBV, CMV, HHV-6, HHV-7 and 8, Cpn, Mycoplasma, anything out there and I have it.
    Whenever I start anti-virals I have to stop because of the side effects causing serious cardiac problems. My physician tells me it is because my heart is seriously infected, so I'm really interested in hearing how the patients did and dealt with the side-effects.

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  6. "In the small sample, viral titers began to fall 2 and 3 weeks after commencement of two antiretrovirals"

    Do you mean titers to XMRV or titers to HHVs?

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  7. What about NK cell function? Does that improve as well?

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  8. I had micoplasma pneumonia show up in viral studies 20 years ago. My CFS is still getting worse but I also had EBV. I know the evidence of EBV remains as an antibody but does the same apply to micoplasma?

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  9. I had a moderate case of ME/CFS until 5 years ago when I caught a chlamydia pneumoniae infection which completely destroyed my life. All symptoms doubled overnight. I started getting neurological symptoms which I'd never had. My ability to exercise & stress fell to zero. My ability to tolerate treatment also fell to near zero. I had severe cognitive dysfunction.

    Very interesting to hear that ARV's may reverse this situation!

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  10. What is being demonstrated is a proliferation of opportunistic pathogens - such patterns are seen in HIV patients, and transplant recipients as well. With XMRV, the immune system loses its ability to target some of these infections.

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