XMRV Virus - NE/CFS and Prostate Cancer (from OneClick Group)

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6. Mouse

Viruses (XMRV), ME/CFS And Prostate Cancer

The most interesting piece of evidence is the molecular evolution of the

samples isolated from patients, cell-lines, and mice proving that XMRV has not

been circulating between human beings. The paper by Lombardi and colleagues

that began this debate provided solid evidence based not only on the molecular

identification of the virus, but also on immunological responses of the host

(virus-specific antibodies), viral expression in patients' peripheral blood

mononuclear cells (flow cytometry), and an infection model (infection of

cultured human cells from patients' samples). Recently, a model of rhesus

macaques enforced the evidence for the infectious potential of XMRV. Thus, the

only explanation for the molecular evolution data, from a study by Hue and

colleagues is that the patients have been infected by a common source of XMRV

and not through human contact. Since XMRV is integrated in cell-lines the virus

evolution is restricted to the host's pace of evolution, and viral descendants

have none or minimum sequence diversity. Thus, if a contaminated product,

previously cultured in cell-lines, is administered to people then the

infections would provide the evolutionary patterns reported by Hue and

colleagues. If the immunological data reported by Lombardi and colleagues

are correct, then we need to trace the common source for these infections to

prevent possible public health concerns. Products from cell-lines should be the

first candidates.

Gkikas Magiorkinis,

Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Lancet

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