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Demonstration of Borna disease virus RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
Author(s) -
Nakaya Takaaki,
Takahashi Hirokazu,
Nakamura Yurie,
Asahi Sayumi,
Tobiume Minoru,
Kuratsune Hirohiko,
Kitani Teruo,
Yamanishi Koichi,
Ikuta Kazuyoshi
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(95)01439-x
Subject(s) - chronic fatigue syndrome , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , virology , complementary dna , recombinant dna , rna , antibody , immunology , medicine , virus , etiology , biology , gene , genetics , in vitro
CFS, a recently named heterogeneous disorder, is an illness of unknown etiology. The association of CFS with viral infections has been suggested. A common association between CFS and several viruses examined has not been confirmed. Here, we centered on the possible link between CFS and BDV infection. By nested RT‐PCR followed by hybridization, BDV RNA was demonstrated as a clear signal in PBMCs in 3 out of 25 CFS patients. The amplified cDNA fragments were cloned and sequenced. A total of 16 clones were studied. Intra‐patients divergencies of the p24 were 2–9%, 3–20%, and 3–11% in the deduced amino acids. Inter‐patient divergencies among the 16 clones were 3–24%. Antibodies to recombinant BDV p24 protein were detected in 6 CFS patients including one carrying BDV RNA. Overall, these gave the prevalence of 32% (8/25) in Japanese CFS patients, suggesting that Japanese CFS is highly associated with active infection of BDV, or a related agent.