Association of Active Human Herpesvirus-6, -7 and Parvovirus B19 Infection with Clinical Outcomes in Patients with [ME/CFS], 2012, Chapenko et al

Association of Active Human Herpesvirus-6, -7 and Parvovirus B19 Infection with Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Svetlana Chapenko, Angelika Krumina, Inara Logina, Santa Rasa, Maksims Chistjakovs, Alina Sultanova, Ludmila Viksna, Modra Murovska

Abstract

Frequency of active human herpesvirus-6, -7 (HHV-6, HHV-7) and parvovirus B19 (B19) infection/coinfection and its association with clinical course of ME/CFS was evaluated. 108 ME/CFS patients and 90 practically healthy persons were enrolled in the study. Viral genomic sequences were detected by PCR, virus-specific antibodies and cytokine levels—by ELISA, HHV-6 variants—by restriction analysis.

Active viral infection including concurrent infection was found in 64.8% (70/108) of patients and in 13.3% (12/90) of practically healthy persons.

Increase in peripheral blood leukocyte DNA HHV-6 load as well as in proinflammatory cytokines' levels was detected in patients during active viral infection.

Definite relationship was observed between active betaherpesvirus infection and subfebrility, lymphadenopathy and malaise after exertion, and between active B19 infection and multijoint pain.

Neuropsychological disturbances were detected in all patients. The manifestation of symptoms was of more frequent occurrence in patients with concurrent infection.

The high rate of active HHV-6, HHV-7 and B19 infection/coinfection with the simultaneous increase in plasma proinflammatory cytokines' level as well as the association between active viral infection and distinctive types of clinical symptoms shows necessity of simultaneous study of these viral infections for identification of possible subsets of ME/CFS.

Link | PDF (Advances in Virology) [Open Access]

 

1994 CDC criteria

None of the 11 ME/CFS participants with only an active B19 infection had PEM, while almost all who had active HHV-6 or HHV-7 infections had PEM. (Table 3)

Unfortunately, they don't say how many of the 38 without active infections had PEM.

Edit: Missed it:

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Edit 2: Put another way, of the participants that had PEM (76):

2 (3%) had only active HHV-6
28 (37%) had only active HHV-7
0 (0%) had only active B19
9 (12%) had active HHV-6 + HHV-7
14 (18%) had active (HHV-7 + B19) or active (HHV-6 + HHV-7 + B19)
23 (30%) had no active infection

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Edit 3: Increased odds of having active HHV-7 if they had PEM (calculated by me using Tables 1 and 3):

With PEM: 67% (51/76) had active HHV-7 infection
Without PEM: 13% (16/122) had active HHV-7 infection

(Without PEM is 32 of the ME/CFS participants plus all 90 healthy participants. Of these, 6 ME/CFS and 10 healthy participants had active HHV-7.)

Or just those sick with CDC ME/CFS, but no PEM: 19% (6/32)