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Thursday, 24 February 2011 17:24 Last Updated on Saturday, 02 April 2011 23:27 Written by Administrator

Medical - Overviews

Message from Lydia E. Neilson, M.S.M, Founder
Chief Executive Officer
National ME/FM Action Network

Re:  XMRV Testing?

As you are aware,  the  Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI) announced that the XMRV retrovirus had been found in ME/CFS blood samples and also in FMS, although only a small amount of blood samples had been tested for FMS.  This retrovirus was first discovered in some people who have prostate cancer.

As a precautionary measure, Canadian Blood Services announced that people with ME/CFS could no longer give blood donations.  This affects all of Canada except for the Province of Quebec who has its own blood agency, HEMA Quebec, which is doing its own investigations.

The question has arisen, can a person be tested in Canada for XMRV and the answer is in the negative. Testing is being done in the U.S. and some Canadians have gone  there at their own expense to get tested, with varying results.

It is important to remember, that this is research at the moment. Before we know what role XMRV plays with ME/CFS and FMS, the tests must be replicated by independent research and once that is done,  then the next question becomes, is it the cause or another way of contracting the illness? We hope that these questions can be answered by the time we have the 2011 conference and we can move on to the next steps.

In the meantime, unless you are involved in a research study, to get tested for XMRV will lead to more questions than answers.  Once you have been tested, what can be done with that information?  What does it mean to your doctor?  In addition, if you are on insurance disability and the test comes back negative, it may work against you and the insurance company may give you a hard time and cause you problems with your disability pension.

What XMRV has done is bring an interest in research and  leading to funding  That is a good thing.  Due to the extensive research, a different outcome may occur than what we presently know.

Please rest assured that the National ME/FM Action Network is keeping a watchful eye on the situation and will keep you informed.

Lydia

XMRV Podcast, Lectures, etc.

  • Feb 20 live webcast presentation will be posted  on Cheney Research @
  • Dr. Judy Mikovits - XMRV  Jan 22, 2010 live presentation
    View video & transcripts     ProHealth & HHV6 Foundation
  • Dr. Lucinda Bateman - XMRV Implications for CFS Webinar a great success  
    CFIDS of America 01/18/10
  • "XMRV stands for xenotropic murine retrovirus. It is an RNA virus that is able to “change the DNA within a cell and insert itself within the human genome. The xmrv virus then replicates as part of the host cell’s DNA. Once the virus’ genetic material is incorporated into the host cell, further generations of the cell will also contain this viral DNA."   Read more @

 

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