XMRV is believed by the researchers to be a possible cause of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, but also some forms of autism. It is a “simple” retrovirus, therefore treatable. Research is already underway for determining causality and possible treatments, based on AIDS research and drugs developed to date. Here, Dr. Judy Mikovits, the lead researcher, and Annette Wihittemore, founder, of the Whittemore Peterson Institute, discuss this research:
Since several of my family members suffer from autism, and I from chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, this theory is of great interest to me.
The Fibromyalgia & CFS blog lays out the possible mechanism by which XMRV develops. The method of infection is yet unknown, but like HIV, the XMRV infects cells involved in immunity.
