Patent ID: 6894056

Claim:
A method of diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome in a patient exhibiting symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome, comprising: evaluating the patient for serologic evidence of EBV and HCMV, further comprising: obtaining serum from the patient; measuring the level of EBV IgM antibodies to the VCA in the serum by measuring nonstructural epitopes for incomplete virus multiplication; measuring the level of EBV antibodies to the total EA in the serum by measuring nonstructural epitopes for incomplete virus multiplication; measuring the level of HCMV IgM antibodies in the serum by measuring nonstructural epitopes for incomplete virus multiplication; measuring the level of HCMV IgG antibodies in the serum by measuring nonstructural epitopes for incomplete virus multiplication; classifying EBV as the cause of the chronic fatigue syndrome when the measurements show any one of the following: 1) an elevated level of IgM antibodies to the VCA for EBV; and 2) presence of total EA antibodies for EBV, in combination with the absence of IgM antibodies for HCMV and a low level of IgG antibodies for HCMV; classifying HCMV as the cause of the chronic fatigue syndrome when the measurements show any one of the following: 1) an elevated level of IgM antibodies for HCMV; and 2) an elevated level of IgG antibodies for HCMV, in combination with a low level of IgM antibodies to the VCA for EBV, and the absence of total EA antibodies for EBV; and classifying a combination of EBV and HCMV as the cause of the chronic fatigue syndrome when the measurements show any one of the following: 1) an elevated level of IgM antibodies to the VCA for EBV; and 2) the presence of total EA antibodies for EBV, in combination with any of the following: 1) an elevated level of IgM antibodies for HCMV; and 2) an elevated level of IgG antibodies for HCMV.