XMRV Contamination Argument Continues

21/Dec/2010

5 new studies have recently been published in Retrovirology stating that Mouse DNA Laboratory contamination could have been mistaken for XMRV in previous studies linking XMRV to ME/CFS. A lot of media outlets have picked up this story, especially in the UK, with definitive headlines claiming that this is conclusive proof that ME/CFS is not linked to XMRV. However, with closer inspection of these studies they do not claim to conclude anything except that care must be taken when studying XMRV as there is a possibility of MLV contamination. For a good overview of the papers see this great article over on Phoenix Rising: Retrovirology: Five Papers on XMRV and Contamination. The WPI have released a statement in response to these new studies.

These new studies are a further step in the quest to discover what role XMRV might play in ME/CFS, if any. We welcome the debate as ultimately it will lead to a better understanding of what is going on with ME/CFS patients. Unfortunately, some of the media reporting seems to be very biased against XMRV instead of giving a true picture of current events!