Is there, in all likelihood, an undetected epidemic of *internal* Kaposi's sarcoma in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients?
http://www.name-us.org/ResearchPages/ResearchArticlesAbstracts/ImmuneArticles/Levine2001SpinalFluid%20infectAbs.pdf
HHV-8 and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Prevalence in the cerebrospinal fluid of the following infectious agents in a cohort of 12 CFS subjects: human herpes virus-6 and 8; chlamydia species; mycoplasma species; EBV; CMV; and Coxsackievirus.
Levine, S.
Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 2001, 9, 1/2,
41-51.
Abstract:
Over the last decade a wide variety of infectious
agents have been associated with the CFS as potential
etiologies for this disorder. Many of these agents are
neurotrophic and have been linked previously to other
diseases involving the central nervous system (CNS).
Human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6), especially the B
variant, has been found in autopsy specimens of
patients who suffered from MS. Because patients with
CFS manifest a wide range of symptoms involving the
CNS as shown by abnormalities on brain MRIs, SPECT
scans of the brain and results of tilt table testing
we sought to determine the prevalence of HHV-6, HHV-8,
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV),
mycoplasma species, chlamydia species, and Coxsackie
virus in the spinal fluid of a group of 12 patients
with CFS (CDC criteria '94).
We found evidence of HHV-6, HHV-8, chlamydia species, CMV and Coxsackie virus in 6/12 samples. Plasma tests
were negative. It was surprising to obtain such a
relatively high yield of infectious agents in cell
free specimens of spinal fluid that had not been
centrifuged. Future research in spinal fluid analysis,
in addition to testing tissue samples by polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) and other direct viral isolation
techniques will be important in characterizing
subpopulations of CFS patients, especially those with
involvement of the CNS.
The low rate of isolation of HHV-6 may be related to
the lack of gross neurological findings in the
patients at the time of testing.