Person: Komaroff, Anthony
Email Address
AA Acceptance Date
Birth Date
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Job Title
Last Name
First Name
Name
Search Results
Publication Failure to Confirm XMRV/MLVs in the Blood of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Multi-Laboratory Study
(American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2011) Simmons, G.; Glynn, S. A.; Komaroff, Anthony; Mikovits, J. A.; Tobler, L. H.; Hackett, J.; Tang, N.; Switzer, W. M.; Heneine, W.; Hewlett, I. K.; Zhao, J.; Lo, S.-C.; Alter, H. J.; Linnen, J. M.; Gao, K.; Coffin, J. M.; Kearney, M. F.; Ruscetti, F. W.; Pfost, M. A.; Bethel, J.; Kleinman, S.; Holmberg, J. A.; Busch, M. P.Murine leukemia viruses (MLV), including xenotropic-MLV-related virus (XMRV), have been controversially linked to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). To explore this issue in greater depth, we compiled coded replicate samples of blood from 15 subjects previously reported to be XMRV/ MLV-positive (14 with CFS) and from 15 healthy donors previously determined to be negative for the viruses. These samples were distributed in a blinded fashion to nine laboratories which performed assays designed to detect XMRV/MLV nucleic acid, virus replication, and antibody. Only two laboratories reported evidence of XMRV/MLVs; however, replicate sample results showed disagreement and reactivity was similar among CFS subjects and negative controls. These results indicate that current assays do not reproducibly detect XMRV/MLV in blood samples and that blood donor screening is not warranted.
Publication A Multicenter Blinded Analysis Indicates No Association between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and either Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus or Polytropic Murine Leukemia Virus
(American Society for Microbiology, 2012) Alter, H. J.; Mikovits, J. A.; Switzer, W. M.; Ruscetti, F. W.; Lo, S.-C.; Klimas, N.; Komaroff, Anthony; Montoya, J. G.; Bateman, L.; Levine, S.; Peterson, D.; Levin, B.; Hanson, M. R.; Genfi, A.; Bhat, M.; Zheng, H.; Wang, R.; Li, B.; Hung, G.-C.; Lee, L. L.; Sameroff, S.; Heneine, W.; Coffin, J.; Hornig, M.; Lipkin, W. I.Thedisablingdisorderknownaschronicfatiguesyndromeormyalgicencephalomyelitis(CFS/ME)hasbeenlinkedin two independent studies to infection with xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and polytropic murine leu- kemia virus (pMLV). Although the associations were not confirmed in subsequent studies by other investigators, patients con- tinue to question the consensus of the scientific community in rejecting the validity of the association. Here we report blinded analysis of peripheral blood from a rigorously characterized, geographically diverse population of 147 patients with CFS/ME and 146 healthy subjects by the investigators describing the original association. This analysis reveals no evidence of either XMRV or pMLV infection.