Detection of an infectious retrovirus, XMRV, in blood cells of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
Authors: Francis W Ruscetti
Michael Dean
Max A Pfost
Kathryn S Hagen
Rachel K Bagni
Sandra K Ruscetti
Daniel L Peterson
Robert H Silverman
Cari Petrow-Sadowski
Bert Gold
Vincent C Lombardi
Jaydip Das Gupta
Judy A Mikovits
Journal: Science (2009)
Discipline: Multidisciplinary
Keywords: Chronic fatigue syndrome; PBMCs; gammaretrovirus; XMRV; infectious
Affiliations: Whittemore Peterson Institute, Reno, NV 89557, USA.

Abstract:  Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating disease of unknown etiology that is estimated to affect 17 million people worldwide. Studying peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from CFS patients, we identified DNA from a human gammaretrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), in 68 of 101 patients (67%) as compared to 8 of 218 (3.7%) healthy controls. Cell culture experiments revealed that patient-derived XMRV is infectious and that both cell-associated and cell-free transmission of the virus are possible. Secondary viral infections were established in uninfected primary lymphocytes and indicator cell lines after their exposure to activated PBMCs, B cells, T cells, or plasma derived from CFS patients. These findings raise the possibility that XMRV may be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of CFS. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 This article has two retraction notices. * On October 14, 2011, the article was partially retracted. See: https: science.sciencemag.org content 334 6053 176.1 The text reads:  *A reexamination by Silverman and Das Gupta of the samples they used shows that some of the CFS peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) DNA preparations are contaminated with XMRV plasmid DNA.* Figure 1, Table S1 and Figure S2 were retracted. * On December 23, 2011, the article was fully retracted. See: https: science.sciencemag.org content 334 6063 1636.1 The notice reads:  *Science is fully retracting the report u201cdetection of an infectious retrovirus, XMRV, in blood cells of patients with chronic fatigue syndromeu201d (1). Multiple laboratories, including those of the original authors (2), have failed to reliably detect xenotropic murine leukemia virusu2013related virus (XMRV) or other murine leukemia virus (MLV )u2013related viruses in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients. In addition, there is evidence of poor quality control in a number of specific experiments in the Report. Figure 1, table S1, and fig. S2 have been retracted by the authors (3). In response to concerns expressed about Fig. 2C [summarized in (4)], the authors acknowledged to Science that they omitted important information from the legend of this figure panel. Specifically, they failed to indicate that the CFS patientu2013derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) shown in Fig. 2C had been treated with azacytidine as well as phytohemagglutinin and interleukin-2. This was in contrast to the CFS samples shown in Figs. 2A and 2B, which had not been treated with azacytidine.* *Given all of these issues, Science has lost confidence in the Report and the validity of its conclusions. We note that the majority of the authors have agreed in principle to retract the Report but they have been unable to agree on the wording of their statement. It is Science s opinion that a retraction signed by all the authors is unlikely to be forthcoming. We are therefore editorially retracting the Report. We regret the time and resources that the scientific community has devoted to unsuccessful attempts to replicate these results.* , 
 Scanning recent activity on the intarwebs, it would seem that not many people can still remember the bodged 2011 powerpoint delivered in Ottawa. https: blogs.sciencemag.org pipeline archives 2011 10 04 xmrv_this_is_not_good It is, though, a thing. And so here I am to remind PubPeer readers that the internet never forgets. Thank goodness that, sometimes, a PhD student has already learnt that skepticism is part of the scientific method. In that light, it might be worth reminding folk about the quality of science that we are dealing with when it comes to prominent denialists of the very dangerous COVID-19 pandemic: Follow, if you must, the money until you are dead. Self-isolate as much as you can. Wear a mask. If you canu2019t avoid being infected, at least minimise the viral load. If you start coughing up blood, get help fast. Take care peeps, Condy , 
 Most of the links in Derek Lowe s XMRV This Is Not Good blog post provided in Condy s remark in #2 are not working anymore, suggesting the internet might start to forget. Luckily, a copy of one of the links on Dr Lowe s blog was saved on WayBack Machine: https: web.archive.org web 20120113045127 http: scienceblogs.com erv 2011 09 xmrv_and_chronic_fatigue_syndr_29.php from which I took some screenshots: So here is a summary of a very big concern about Figure 2 in this Science paper, as noted by  ERV in 2011. Here is the bottom part of Figure 2C of the Science paper: ![file] This panel looks remarkably similar to Slide #13 in a presentation that one of the authors, Judy Mikovits gave at the IACFS ME 2011 conference in Ottowa, as provided by Jamie Deckoff-Jones. Of note, the labels appear to be a bit different than in the Science paper. ![file] Here is a close comparison of the two versions: ![file] A third copy of the blot, the uncropped version of the image embedded in Slide #13 appears to reveal even different labels. Found at: https: web.archive.org web 20150919092418 http: i56.tinypic.com 23r7fwx.jpg (original link is not working anymore). ![file] , 
 #3 It turns out that the ERV blogposts did survive the passage of time, but the host altered the indexing during one of the ScienceBlogs revamps, so that particular post can now be found at https: scienceblogs.com erv 2011 09 30 xmrv-and-chronic-fatigue-syndr-29. Huzzah! The **images** didn t survive, though (the experience will be familiar to anyone who lived through the change from PubPeer I to PubPeer II), so Internet Archive is indeed invaluable here. Anyone interested in reconstructing the history of the XMRV debacle could begin with ERV s archives: https: scienceblogs.com tag xmrv Here, for instance, is the documentation that Dr Mikovits proposed that XMRVs in vaccines cause autism - relevant, in the light of current denials in social media that Mikovits ever made such a suggestion. https: scienceblogs.com erv 2011 11 03 xmrv-and-autism-worst-internet ,