Can persistent EBV infection induce CFS as a Pavlov reflex of the immune response?

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PubMed

J Biol Dyn. 2012 Mar;6(2):740-62.

Can persistent Epstein-Barr

virus infection induce

chronic fatigue syndrome

as a Pavlov reflex of the

immune response?

Agliari E, Barra A, Vidal KG,

Guerra F.

a Dipartimento di Fisica , UniversitB degli

Studi di Parma , viale G.P. Usberti 7/A ,

43100 , Parma , Italy.

Abstract

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a protracted

illness condition (lasting even years)

appearing with strong flu symptoms and

systemic defiances by the immune system.

Here, by means of statistical mechanics

techniques, we study the most widely

accepted picture for its genesis, namely a

persistent acute mononucleosis infection,

and we show how such infection may drive

the immune system towards an

out-of-equilibrium metastable state

displaying chronic activation of both

humoral and cellular responses (a state of

full inflammation without a direct

'causes-effect' reason).

By exploiting a bridge with a neural scenario,

we mirror killer lymphocytes T(K) and B cells

to neurons and helper lymphocytes

[Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]

to synapses, hence showing that the

immune system may experience the Pavlov

conditional reflex phenomenon:

if the exposition to a stimulus (Epstein-Barr

virus antigens) lasts for too long, strong

internal correlations among B,T(K) and T(H)

may develop ultimately resulting in a

persistent activation even though the

stimulus itself is removed.

These outcomes are corroborated by several

experimental findings.

PMID: 22873615 [PubMed - in process]