Researchers Seek Test for Possible Chronic Fatigue Virus in Nation's Blood Supply

Scientists are racing to develop tests for a retrovirus called XMRV, which could be used to determine if the blood supply is tainted and to assess how many people may be infected.

The impetus behind the drive is a paper published in the journal Science last year that reported a link between XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome. Public health officials were alarmed that close to 4% of healthy people used as controls in the study were infected with XMRV. That could mean as many as 10 million Americans are infected.

XMRV has gotten a lot of attention because, like HIV, it is a retrovirus. This means the virus cannot be eradicated from the body, only controlled. There is some preliminary evidence that XMRV may be transmitted sexually or through transfusions. While the retrovirus has been linked to certain diseases, scientists don't yet know if it actually causes any disease.

Read the full article at WSJ.com

Update on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 5:03PM by Kathy

From WSJ.com

The controversy over whether the retrovirus XMRV is linked to chronic fatigue syndrome has still not been resolved, but the American Red Cross has just weighed in. The organization said today that as a result of concerns over XMRV, it is barring people with a diagnosis of CFS from donating blood.

In a press release, the Red Cross said that there isn’t enough data yet to determine for sure that XMRV is transmitted through blood transfusions or that it causes diseases. But “in the interest of patient and donor safety,” the organization said it was indefinitely barring blood donations from people with CFS.