Phoenix Rising: The First Retrovirus

[Cort Johnson]

“And suddenly I could see myself 20 years from now, when I'm a high school biology teacher and someone calls and says, ‘Hey, they just found a retrovirus in CFS’. And maybe that's how it will happen. And I know how I'll feel - it'll feel great”  Elaine DeFrietas

Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients, of course, weren’t the only ones to feel the sting of this mysterious illness - their advocates have as well. Certainly there’s no more disheartening story on the researcher end than Elaine DeFreitas whose career rose and fell on the horns of the dilemma that has been chronic fatigue syndrome almost 20 years ago.

An accomplished researcher with 20 plus publications under her belt after her CFS paper she would publish a few more and her career would be over - an entirely unforeseen end for a woman Hilary Koprowski hired on the spot, later saying “I saw in her an extremely clever, inventive and driving person. She sinks her teeth into a problem. And she’s enormously careful.” 

By the time it was all said and done, though,  Dr. DeFreitas career and health were shattered. As we wait for more results on XMRV check out the amazing story of the first retrovirus in ME/CFS; the one that didn't work out. Some aspects are eerily similar; ie the prestigious institutions and huge media interest and some are not (the much, much more robust initial paper this time) but the story illustrates how complex situation the hunt for a retrovirus is.

http://aboutmecfs.org/Rsrch/RetrovirusFirst.aspx

Dr. Mikovits made some dark illusions recently to the Imperial College study and insurance companies.  Check out a recent blog called XMRV: the Urgency of Money for a look at the huge role money plays in this kind of research.  Meanwhile a recent Press Release appears to suggest that the WPI is backing off their PCR testing and going with Culture testing. Check that out on the XMRV Buzz Page.

•  XMRV: the Urgency of Money
• XMRV Buzz Page

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Cort Johnson

Phoenix Rising  - An ME/CFS Website at http://aboutmecfs.org.
Proudly affiliated with ME-CFS Community at http://ME-CFSCommunity.com

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Cort Johnson

Phoenix Rising  - An ME/CFS Website at http://aboutmecfs.org.
Proudly affiliated with ME-CFS Community at http://ME-CFSCommunity.com