Chronic Phase Lipids in Sera of Several Chronic Diseases Reacting with MAB–CTX (Antibody to Ciguatoxin), 2003, Hokama et al

Abstract
The membrane immunobead assay results on the acetone lipid fraction of serum from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients (60 samples) and normal individuals (with no clinical CFS or other disease symptoms) showed significant differences with 4 exceptions (4 normals showed 1:40 and 1:80 titres). This represented approximately 10.8% of the normal samples, with 3 samples at 1:20, the majority of the CFS titred 1:40 through 1:160. This represented 95.0% of the samples. The small numbers of hepatitis patients and chronic ciguatera fish poisoning patients also had titres of 1:40 to 1:80 in all of the serum samples examined. The weights of the lipids in mg/ml serum essentially are very similar, except 1 or 2 of CFS and hepatitis B showed values at the upper level. Comparison of sexes showed 65% females and 35% men with CFS, representing a ratio of approximately 2:1 (female/male).

It is concluded that certain disease conditions and environmental exposures to deleterious factors (toxin, chemicals, microorganisms) trigger the release of lipids (probably by the liver) with similar epitopes to ciguatoxin, and that they react with MAb–CTX. We designate these lipids as “chronic phase lipids” comparable to “acute phase protein” in inflammatory and traumatic diseases.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1081/TXR-120026913?scroll=top&needAccess=true

Dr Yoshitsugi Hokama
Department of Pathology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA

 

This is an old paper, one that I remember reading early on in my illness and that I felt might be important, although I can't find a link to the full paper now. I think it's an intriguing idea, that the body is producing toxins as a result of "certain disease conditions and environmental exposures" with "similar epitopes to ciguatoxin". There are a few discussions on the forum on the idea that ME/CFS might be similar to chronic ciguatera - they can be found by clicking on the ciguatera tab on the top left.

I would like to know if anyone has tried to replicate the study.

@strategist posted the following paragraph on this thread:
Metabolomic Evidence for Peroxisomal Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 2022, Levine,Hornig,Lipkin et al

 

From that quote above:

We have a thread on that later paper here:
Acute Phase Phospholipids Related to the Cardiolipin of Mitochondria in the Sera of Patients With CFS, ciguatera, GWI, 2008. Hokama et al