Potential Animal Virus Identified in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients
From Karen Lee Richards,

Scientific research funded by the National CFIDS Foundation, Inc. (NCF) is providing preliminary confirmation of a new virus identified in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients. This ongoing research dovetails with a completed research project conducted by Cryptic Afflictions, LLC, a private company.

Cryptic Afflictions, LLC Research
According to the NCF press release, Dr. Steven J. Robbins, virologist and Chief Executive Officer of Cryptic Afflictions, LLC discovered a major neuropathogen identified as an RNA virus designated as Cryptovirus. Substantial clinical and molecular evidence indicates that this virus is involved in the development of neurological disorders that include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.) and Idiopathic Epilepsy of unknown cause.

Dr. Robbins' evidence includes:
the presence of virus-specific antibodies in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients suffering from these disorders.
the ability of the virus to cause virtually identical disease in experimentally-infected animals.
nucleotide sequence data that indicates that the virus is pandemic and represents a single virus species much like measles.
Cryptovirus is most similar to Parainfluenza Virus-5, a rubelavirus. Another rubulavirus related to Cryptovirus and Parainfluenza Virus-5, that has gained national attention for its large outbreak, is the mumps virus.

NCF Research
Regarding the NCF research into the potential role of Cryptovirus and Parainfluenza Virus-5 in chronic fatigue syndrome, Professor Alan Cocchetto, Medical Director for the Foundation stated in their press release, "Our own funded research first confirmed the lack of a vital protein, known as Stat-1, in the blood of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Stat-1 plays an indispensable role in immunity. Without this protein, patients are unable to effectively fight viral and bacterial infections. Thus, the next logical question to be answered was 'Could a virus be causing this Stat-1 depletion?' " Cocchetto continued, "Parainfluenza Virus-5 is a virus that had to be seriously considered as a possible piece of this medical puzzle because it directly targets and destroys the Stat-1 protein."

Putting It All Together
It was at this point in the NCF research that they learned of Dr. Robbins' earlier discovery of Cryptovirus specific antibody reactivity in CFS patients. Dr. Robbins had tested 56 serum specimens from CFS patients along with 11 matching cerebrospinal fluid samples obtained from physicians in Brisbane and Southeast Queensland, Australia. Dr. Robbins found that 96 percent of the blood samples and 91 percent of the spinal fluid samples tested positively for Cryptovirus specific antibodies.
NCF reported in its press release that their scientists utilized the NIH Genbank database to find the nucleotide sequence for a specific viral protein of Cryptovirus that matched 100 percent to the porcine (swine) strain of Parainfluenza Virus-5 known as the SER strain. In 1994, scientists at Bayer AG in Germany first isolated the SER strain from swine with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome. "This may represent a zoonotic process since zoonotic viruses are those that can be transmitted between animals and people" stated Cocchetto.

Gail Kansky, President of the NCF commented in the press release, "Here we have what appears to be the same viral strain of Parainfluenza Virus-5 on two continents and in two different populations, swine and humans." The Foundation is currently funding further research.

Source: National CFIDS Foundation, Inc., 05/31/06