Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Komaroff, Anthony L.
• Bell, David S.
• Cheney, Paul R.
• Lo, Shyh-Ching

Titel

Absence of Antibody to Mycoplasma fermentans in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Ist Teil von

• Clinical infectious diseases, 1993-12, Vol.17 (6), p.1074-1075

Ort / Verlag

United States: The University of Chicago Press

Erscheinungsjahr

1993

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Mycoplasma fermentans (strain incognitus) is a recently discovered organism that was first isolated from patients with AIDS. An in vitro study showed that infection with this mycoplasma markedly enhanced human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) cytocidal effects on CD4+ lymphocytes. Also, because mycoplasmal infections in many animal hosts can suppress defense mechanisms, it has been postulated that this organism could serve as a cofactor in AIDS. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a chronic debilitating illness characterized by sudden onset of a "flu-like" syndrome (typically with symptoms of upper and lower respiratory tract infection) followed by at least 6 months, and often years, of debilitating fatigue, low-grade fevers, respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, cognitive impairment and mood disorders, and other symptoms. On immunologic, virological, endocrinologic, and neurological testing, a variety of modest objective abnormalities have been reported; however, no satisfactory diagnostic test has been developed, and no etiologic agent has been identified.