Demonstration of Borna disease virus RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

CFS, a recently named heterogeneous disorder, is an illness of unknown etiology. The association of CFS with viral infections has been suggested. A common association between CFS and several viruses examined has not been confirmed. Here, we centered on the possible link between CFS and BDV infection. By nested RT-PCR followed by hybridization, BDV RNA was demonstrated as a clear signal in PBMCs in 3 out of 25 CFS patients. The amplified cDNA fragments were cloned and sequenced. A total of 16 clones were studied. Intra-patients divergencies of the p24 were 2-9%, 3-20%, and 3-11% in the deduced amino acids. Inter-patient divergencies among the 16 clones were 3-24%. Antibodies to recombinant BDV p24 protein were detected in 6 CFS patients including one carrying BDV RNA. Overall, these gave the prevalence of 32% (8/25) in Japanese CFS patients, suggesting that Japanese CFS is highly associated with active infection of BDV, or a related agent.