It's time to look at the connection between pets and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome again.

 

HHV-6 and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Pets: Connect the Dots

"Research using animal models has been central to most of the achievements of modern medicine." (Wikipedia)

A number of years ago, in Oklahoma, a scientist did some research into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that had very disturbing implications. It was brilliant research that involved three things that most Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (and HHV-6) researchers and patients never ever want to talk about in public: 1) The transmissibility of CFS; 2) The identification of a viral cause of CFS; 3) The possibility (or probablity) that CFS could be transmitted to and from pets.

The man was Richard Thomas Glass D.D.S., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Oral and Maxilofacial Pathology and Pathology University of Oklahoma, Health Sciences Center Tulsa.

In the Glass study, "A total of 127 patients met the surveillance criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the establishment of the diagnosis of ME/CFS and were included in the study. This group of patients had a total of 463 domestic animals (pets), of which 348 animals demonstrated abnormal signs and 115 were considered healthy."

The very eye-opening results of the study were that "One hundred six (83%) of the 127 ME/CFS surveyed reported that at least one of their animals (predominantly domestic pets) showed a wide range of unusual or atypical signs, many of which mimicked the signs and symptoms of ME/CFS. The sick animals' signs were divided into General (40%), Neurological (35%), Gastrointestinal (10%), Reticuloendothelial/Blood (9%), Neoplasia (4%), and Endocrine (2%).One of the most striking result of the study was that 113 of the 127 ME/CFS patients surveyed felt their ME/CFS symptoms were somehow associated with their animals contact. Ninety (71%) of the 127 ME/CFS patients reported that they were the primary caretakers for multiple animals. Other less common findings were: the onset of ME/ CFS being associated with obtaining the animal; the onset of ME/CFS being associated with a flea bite episode; prior residents having sick animals and ME/CFS; other family member contracting ME/CFS from their close association with the sick animal (as opposed to their association with the family members who had ME/CFS); ME/CFS symptoms decreasing after the pet leaving or dying."

Glass discusses his studies here. He writes, "The results of these studies also need to alert the veterinary profession that should there be a possibility of animal to human transmission of CFIDS, veterinarians might want to consider the wearing of protective clothing, gloves, eyewear, and masks when examining animals. We have received a number of reports from veterinarians around the country, especially from female veterinarians, that they have had to substantially limit their practices due to fatigue and other CFIDS-like symptoms. Similarly, precautions need to be taken to prevent CFIDS from being transmitted from one animal to another. The conclusions of the second study were that animals of CFIDS patient. demonstrated a wide range of disease and dysfunctional signs, similar to their CFIDS owners. The interactions between the animal and the CFIDS patients was often intimate. The study showed that the course of CFIDS in the animals varied widely, but after more thorough analyses of the data and of subsequent data, it appears that the animals have two distinct courses: 1. Their CFIDS signs produce progressive deterioration and the animal dies or 2. The animals appear to completely recover, usually after about five years." 

The Glass study concluded, "A large number of animals of ME/CFS patients have atypical or unusual diseases which at least mimic ME/CFS. Most of the 127 ME/CFS patients surveyed have significant animal interactions."

Another scientist named W. Tarello did a study that also saw a connection between CFS and pets.

Anyone with common sense would be fascinated by these studies and see a clear path forward for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome research. Unfortunately, common sense left the field of CFS research as soon as the CDC and NIAID's Anthony Fauci got involved. A big truck carrying smoke and mirrors arrived on the scene.

Had common sense been involved, by now we would be in the middle of a vast research effort to identify the agent that was being transmitted back and forth between people and their pets. Actually, the matter would probably have been resolved by now. The veterinarian research community might have been enlisted to help and there is a chance that because they would not be so invested in covering up what Fauci and the CDC have been covering up, they might have helped resolve the issue of CFS causation in people and pets quickly. People love their pets and luckily, pets can't join support groups that can obfuscate the nature of their illness. Thank God we will not see a National Dog's Chronic Fatigue Association run by a narcissistic bureaucratic dog who only wants to feather his own nest and hide the contagiousness of the illness. Thank God dogs and cats can't create gravy trains to research biomarkers and start cockamamie big data orgies.

Anyone with common sense should reopen the pets-and-CFS issue and get busy trying to determine what Thomas Glass was on the trail of. We won't be shocked if it is HHV-6 (or a relative) that is being transmitted back and forth between people and pets.

But in any case, let the pets-and-CFS research begin again and may the chips fall where they may.