XMRV doesn't cause chronic fatigue

Two studies point to contamination of patient samples as the cause of a controversial 2009 finding that linked the mouse virus XMRV with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Written byTia Ghose
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

Microscope image of XMRV (Xenotropic murine leukemia virus - related virus)WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Two studies have cast further doubt on a 2009 report that a mouse virus is linked to chronic fatigue syndrome. The studies, both published Tuesday (May 31) in Science, point to lab contamination as the source of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus, or XMRV, in cell samples from chronic fatigue patients.

As a result of these findings, both the scientific community and chronic fatigue patients "will ultimately have to accept the scientific proof that there's just no hint of a connection to that disease," Stephen Goff, a virologist at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York who was not involved in the study, told The Scientist.

Mikovits' 2009 paper reported that 67 percent of CFS patients, but only 10 percent of healthy controls, tested ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here
Image of a man in a laboratory looking frustrated with his failed experiment.
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies