Potential Animal Virus Identified in CFS

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--- [CO-CURE] NOTICE: Potential Animal (Zoonotic) Virus Identified

in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy

Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 11:06:47 -0700

From: O'Toole <m_otoole2@...>

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U.S. Newswire

Potential Animal (Zoonotic) Virus Identified in Patients with Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy

5/31/2006 12:00:00 PM

National Desk

Contact: Gail Kansky of the National CFIDS Foundation, 781-449-3535 or

gailronda@...

NEEDHAM, Mass., May 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Recent independent scientific

research funded by the National CFIDS Foundation, Inc. (NCF) of Needham, MA

provided preliminary confirmation of a new virus identified in patients with

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The Foundation's medical research dovetails with that

completed to date by Cryptic Afflictions, LLC (1), a private company.

Dr. J. Robbins, virologist and Chief Executive Officer of Cryptic

Afflictions, LLC has discovered a major neuropathogen identified as an RNA

virus designated as Cryptovirus. Substantial clinical and molecular evidence

indicates that this virus is involved in the development of neurological

disorders that include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as Myalgic

Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) by the World Health Organization, Multiple Sclerosis

(M.S.) and Idiopathic Epilepsy of unknown cause.

According to the company, " This previously undetected virus appears to be of

significant importance to researchers looking for a cure to Multiple Sclerosis

and many other neurological illnesses. Antibodies to the newly discovered virus

were found in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood of over 90 percent of the

patients tested with Multiple Sclerosis. It is believed that this newly

discovered virus may prove to be responsible for a host of neurological

disorders. Tests are currently being prepared for tissue samples of lesions

within the brains of patients with Multiple Sclerosis. This will be the final

round of tests before approaching the FDA for approval of the diagnostic

tests. "

Dr. Robbins' evidence includes the presence of virus-specific antibodies in the

serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients suffering from these disorders, the

ability of the virus to cause virtually identical disease in

experimentally-infected animals, and nucleotide sequence data that indicates

that the virus is pandemic and represents a single virus species much like

measles.

A recently published medical journal article suggests that Cryptovirus is most

similiar to Parainfluenza Virus-5, a rubulavirus in the paramyxovirus family.

Another rubulavirus related to Cryptovirus and Parainfluenza Virus-5, that has

gained national attention for its large outbreak, is the mumps virus.

Rubulavirus infections have been associated with encephalitis, meningitis,

orchitis, inflammation of the testicles or ovaries, spontaneous abortion, and

deafness.

The NCF has conducted its own preliminary research into the potential role of

Cryptovirus and Parainfluenza Virus-5 in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Professor

Alan Cocchetto, Medical Director for the Foundation stated, " Our own funded

research first confirmed the lack of a vital protein, known as Stat-1, in the

blood of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Stat-1 plays an indispensable

role in immunity. Without this protein, patients are unable to effectively

fight viral and bacterial infections. Thus, the next logical question to be

answered was 'Could a virus be causing this Stat-1 depletion?' " Cocchetto

continued, " Parainfluenza Virus-5 is a virus that had to be seriously

considered as a possible piece of this medical puzzle because it directly

targets and destroys the Stat-1 protein. " Gail Kansky, President of the NCF

stated, " Once we determined the status of Stat-1 in patient blood samples, we

knew that we had to look for possible evidence of Parainfluenza Virus-5

infection. It was during this phase of our own research that we actually

learned of Dr. Robbins' discovery of Cryptovirus specific antibody

reactivity in patients with CFS. " Dr. Robbins had tested fifty- six serum

specimens from patients who had been diagnosed with CFS along with eleven

matching cerebrospinal fluid samples obtained from physicians in Brisbane and

Southeast Queensland. Dr. Robbins had determined that 96 percent of the blood

samples and 91 percent of the spinal fluid samples tested positively for

Cryptovirus specific antibodies in these CFS patients.

The National CFIDS Foundation's own research began to dovetail with that of Dr.

Robbins. Scientists funded by the Foundation performed numerous tests for

Parainfluenza Virus-5 that included antibody as well as PCR specific probes.

Antibody testing provided some initial hints, however a PCR specific probe

picked up the infection in a former patient of S. Bell, M.D. and R.

Cheney, Ph.D., M.D., both considered well known specialists in the field of

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Kansky commented, " Though our funded research

continues in diagnostic testing, our findings have served to highlight the

important work of

Dr. Robbins and the role of Cryptovirus and Parainfluenza Virus-5 infection in

CFS. "

NCF scientists utilized the NIH Genbank database to find the nucleotide

sequence for a specific viral protein of Cryptovirus that matched 100 percent

to the porcine (swine) strain of Parainfluenza Virus-5 known as the SER strain.

In 1994, scientists at Bayer AG in Germany first isolated the SER strain from

swine with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome. " This may represent a

zoonotic process since zoonotic viruses are those that can be transmitted

between animals and people " stated Cocchetto. Kansky commented, " Here we have

what appears to be the same viral strain of Parainfluenza Virus-5 on two

continents and in two different populations, swine and humans. Given that the

NCF found Parainfluenza Virus-5 in one CFS patient in the United States

certainly raises the bar. " The Foundation is currently funding further

research.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has several ongoing grants in the

Parainfluenza Virus-5 field. Currently, however, there is only one U.S.

scientist specifically funded for research on the SER strain of Parainfluenza

Virus-5 by the NIH.

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(1) " Limina Biotechnologies, Inc. is a recently formed subsidiary of Global

Medical Technologies, Inc. that was established for the purpose of merging

Cryptic Afflictions LLC and Global Medical Technologies, Inc. It is the intent

of management to spin off this newly formed corporation once the merger is

completed so Limina can raise capital through its own IPO, " according to the

company's website, http://www.globalmedicaltech.com.

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Founded in 1997, the National CFIDS Foundation has grown to become the largest,

all-volunteer patient organization of its type in the United States. The

Foundation has no paid employees and is funded solely by individual donations

for the primary purpose to fund medical research into the cause and treatment

and/or cure of Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS/CFS).

http://www.usnewswire.com/

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/© 2006 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

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