Is XMRV retrovirus tainting our blood supply?

[Guest guest]

Happy A day!!!

Here is a shorter version for autism, CFS lists, and the media. It might be

more effective getting attention before we give them the longer version:

Is our Blood Supply being Tainted by the newly Discovered Retrovirus XMRV?

No one is talking about how this could taint our blood bank supply. Most of

Europe, Canada, New Zealand, and I believe, Japan has formally stopped all CSF

patients from donating blood. However, our country is awaiting the results

from a new study being done by the NIH to determine if our blood supply could be

tainted by people who have XMRV. Is this wait and see attitude putting our

citizens in danger of getting XMRV?

You probably haven’t heard about XMRV yet. You would think that several

countries banning a group from blood donation would be news worthy. Or that the

third known infectious human retrovirus found in American blood donors might

cause some concern and a few more headlines. Shouldn’t the public be more

aware there is a known retrovirus in the blood supply, and that it is linked to

many diseases?

For more info on this news breaking story please email:

Marcia Hinds hindssite@...

Or call 805 497-8202

From: Ann/ MacLaren [mailto:annmaclaren@...]

Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 7:45 AM

and Marcia Hinds

Subject: Re: XMRV

Hi Marsha, I sent your email to our Indianapolis media and a few contacts I have

there! Thanks, Ann MacLaren

From: and Marcia Hinds <mailto:hindssite@...>

Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 9:10 AM

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Subject: XMRV

Please forward the following to everyone you know at news agencies who will

listen or any chronic fatigue (CFS) or autism list you belong to. The following

news story could be as life changing as the discovery of HIV. The Wall Street

Journal has already done a story on the XMRV virus tainting our blood supply.

Other countries are currently preventing people with Chronic Fatigue from

donating blood. Shouldn’t we be doing the same? The public needs to know

about XMRV.

There is a newly discovered retrovirus called XMRV getting a lot of attention

from the NIH and CDC. It is frighteningly similar in nature to the HIV

retrovirus. XMRV was first discovered in patients who had prostate cancer and

now has been found in people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

XMRV is currently shown to be a possible cause/factor in the development of the

following diseases: Prostate Cancer, CFS, Autism, Fibromyalgia, MS, and certain

lymphomas and leukemias.

In October of 2009 a paper was published by the Whittemore Institute

(WPI) that showed 85% of the patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome had this

retrovirus in their blood. This number becomes even more significant if you

contrast it with the fact that XMRV was found in only 4% of the general

population and control group. Recently, a soon to be published abstract of a

small study from WPI showed that 82% of children with Autism tested positive for

XMRV. This discovery could provide new treatment options for people suffering

from these diseases and possibly many others.

But the even bigger story is: Is our Blood Supply being Tainted by the newly

Discovered Retrovirus XMRV?

No one is talking about how this could taint our blood bank supply. Most of

Europe, Canada, New Zealand, and I believe, Japan has formally stopped all CSF

patients from donating blood. However, our country is awaiting the results

from a new study being done by the NIH to determine if our blood supply could be

tainted by people who have XMRV. Is this wait and see attitude putting our

citizens in danger of getting XMRV?

You probably haven’t heard about XMRV yet. You would think that several

countries banning a group from blood donation would be news worthy. Or that the

third known infectious human retrovirus found in American blood donors might

cause some concern and a few more headlines. Shouldn’t the public be more

aware there is a known retrovirus in the blood supply, and that it is linked to

many diseases?

If you decide to do a story on XMRV here are some possible contacts for you:

Amy Riley: Media contact for the Whittemore Institute for Neuro Immune

Disease

775-287-7930 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 775-336-4557

begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting

end_of_the_skype_highlightingamy.riley@...

Kathy on: Director at the Northern New York Autism Clinic

315-773-5405 <mailto:autismclinic2@...> autismclinic2@...

Hankinson: Her child was in the initial study by the Whittemore

group concerning XMRV and autism. She is very knowledgeable and great

source for you.

708-357-6734 jlhank80@...

XMRV BACKGROUND AND FACTS

· XMRV is the third known human retrovirus. The other 2 known

retroviruses include HIV and HTLV (both are dangerous and can be deadly).

· XMRV stands for Xenotropic Murine Leukemia virus-Related Virus. It is

96% genetically similar to the Murine Leukemia Virus, but it does not infect

mice, only humans. No one knows where this virus came from and how it

evolved/changed to a virus that only infects humans.

· More than two thirds of the one million people in the United States

who suffer from chronic fatigue are infected with XMRV. The Whittemore study

examined the blood samples from 101 chronic fatigue patients and compared them

from samples of 218 healthy people. Approximately 67% of chronic fatigue

sufferers had XMRV compared with less than 4% of the healthy people. With

improved testing this number increased to 98% for CFS patients.

· Judy Mikovits, research director of Whittemore Institute at

the University of Nevada Reno, is co-author of a study just published in the

journal Science Express that identifies a strong link between XRMV Virus and

CFS.

· Judy Mikovits has stated that XMRV has " almost certainly entered the

U.S. blood supply system, but did not know whether it would be susceptible to

the same heat treatments that successfully kill off the AIDS virus in blood

products. "

· A federal consortium is now working to determine the prevalence of

XMRV in the blood supply and the suitability of different detection methods.

· In 2010, the association of XMRV and CFS (reported in Science) has

prompted Canada and Australia to disallow blood donations from individuals with

CFS. On June 18th 2010, the American Association of Blood Banks recommended

actively discouraging potential donors who have been diagnosed by a physician as

having CFS from donating blood or blood components. As of November 1, 2010

people with CFS will no longer be able to donate blood in the UK.

* It is very likely that most children who have Autism/Neuro-Immune Dysfunction

are infected with XMRV. Whether it causes Autism/Neuro-Immune Dysfunction is yet

to be understood, but very likely a pathogen that deserves attention and

treatment.

* Here is a link to the story in the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704243904575630700111729446.html