Herpes Link May Lead to CFS Test

Some cases of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may be linked to human herpesvirus 6A variant (HHV-6A), according to the HHV-6 Foundation (Santa Barbara, CA, USA). This and other recent findings may lead to a test for the disease.

The HHV-6 virus was discovered in the late 1980s. While the B variant is very common, appearing in more than 96% of the population, the A variant is less common. The A variant has been linked to CFS and multiple sclerosis (MS) and may hasten the progression of HIV. According to Dr. Dharam Ablashi, co-discoverer of the virus and scientific director of the HHV-6 Foundation, there is a strong association between HHV-6 and CFS when the correct testing method is used.

The HHV-6 virus is difficult to find, which helps to explain why it took so long to identify the link to CFS. "The virus is neurotropic, meaning it prefers to live in the brain tissue,” explained Dr. Ablashi. "It is quite possible to find a significant infection in the brain tissue, but no virus in the serum by DNA testing.”

"Our primary objective at the moment is to get a test on the market that will be a sensitive indicator of active infection,” observed Kristin Loomis, executive director of HHV-6 Foundation. "The evidence presented at the conference will go a long way toward dispelling the notion, still held by some physicians, that CFS is purely psychiatric.”

Dr. Daniel Petersen, a leading CFS clinician from Sierra Internal Medicine (Nevada, UT, USA), has performed spinal taps on patients with abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or severe problems with cognitive functioning. He found active HHV-6A virus in the spinal fluid of 20% of those patients. He has been treating some of his most severe cases with intravenous antiviral therapy and the majority have responded. Dr. Petersen does not tell them they have CFS; he tells them they have HHV-6A subacute encephalopathy.




Related Links:
HHV-6 Foundation