Potential Animal (Zoonotic) Virus Identified in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy

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Potential Animal (Zoonotic) Virus Identified in Patients with Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy

Needham, MA May 31, 2006 -- 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 *, 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%

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% of the blood samples and 91% 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% 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.

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).

* " 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, HYPERLINK

" http://www.globalmedicaltech.com/ " \nwww.globalmedicaltech.com.

For more information on these findings click HYPERLINK

" http://www.ncf-net.org/Discoveries.htm " \nhere.

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