Miyazawa, Takayuki · Biologicals : journal of the International Association of Biological Standardization · 2010 · DOI
This article reviews the concern that certain viruses called endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) may be present in animal cell lines used to make some vaccines. Scientists discovered a virus called XMRV in some patients with ME/CFS and prostate cancer. Because some vaccines are made using animal cells that naturally contain ERVs, there is a theoretical risk that these viruses could contaminate vaccines, though this has not been well studied.
This review is relevant to ME/CFS because XMRV was specifically identified in ME/CFS patients, and understanding potential vaccine-related transmission routes for retroviruses could inform discussion about infectious agents in ME/CFS etiology. The paper highlights a gap in vaccine safety monitoring that may be particularly pertinent to patients seeking to understand potential environmental or iatrogenic risk factors.
This review does not prove that vaccines have caused ME/CFS or that XMRV transmission through vaccination occurs in practice. The article is theoretical and does not present clinical evidence linking vaccination to XMRV infection or disease onset. It identifies a potential risk that has been overlooked rather than demonstrating an actual causal pathway.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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