Replies to post #84780 on Biotech Values

[iwfal]

CFS Virus -

XMRV retrovirus: A follow-up research question: Is the mechanism of transmission similar to HIV, since it is also a retrovirus?

No. I don't believe so - although the list of human retroviruses is pretty small. But I, at any rate, know of nothing about retroviruses per se that limits them to that form of transmission.

68 of 101 patients with the syndrome, or 67 percent, were infected with an infectious virus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus, or XMRV. By contrast, only 3.7 percent of 218 healthy people were infected. Continuing work after the paper was published has found the virus in nearly 98 percent of about 300 patients with the syndrome, said Dr. Judy A. Mikovits, the lead author of the paper.

The PR feel of this is unappetizing. I hope it turns out to be real - but even if it is I seriously doubt it is 98% positive in CFS and only 3.7% positive in healthy people. If for no other reason that CFS symptoms are so vague it has to catch a bunch of people with different etiologies (e.g. pure psychiatric).