The
CFIDS Association of America issued the following statement in
response to a study published in today’s edition of PLoS
One that failed to detect the XMRV virus in banked samples drawn
from 186 CFS patients in the United Kingdom. A study published Oct. 8,
2009 in Science
reported that 68 of 101 CFS patients from clinics in the U.S. tested
positive for XMRV.
“Without a standardized method of detecting XMRV,
millions of dollars might be wasted on independent attempts to determine
the prevalence of XMRV in different populations.”
“The CFIDS Association of America reviewed the study published in
today’s edition of PLoS One. We are concerned about many elements
of this study including differences between the patients selected by the
two groups, different processes used to collect and test the blood
samples, and the rapid nature of the new publication, as evidenced by
the three days that separated the dates of submission and acceptance,”
stated K. Kimberly McCleary, president and CEO of the CFIDS Association
of America. “We urge the media and the research and patient communities
to view these findings in the context of evolving understanding and to
insist upon more rigorous and standardized replication studies before
drawing conclusions about the role of XMRV in the pathophysiology of
CFS.”