By Michelle Fay Cortez - Oct 22, 2011 7:15 PM CT
A newly discovered virus that triggered a firestorm of controversy
when it was linked to prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome
isn=92t transmitted through blood, according to researchers.
Tests designed to detect antibodies the immune system would normally
produce to latch on to the virus, known as XMRV, failed to find solid
evidence of transmission, researchers said. They analyzed 17,249
samples from blood donors.
Officials from Abbott Laboratories (ABT), the American Red Cross and
Gen-Probe Inc. (GPRO) gathered soon after XMRV was identified in
prostate tumors in 2006 to see if they could find it in the nation=92s
blood supply. A later study linked the virus to chronic fatigue
syndrome and found it in blood, though further research failed to
confirm the results. In the latest study, less than 1 percent of the
samples were positive for either antibody test, and none were positive
for both, said John Hackett, manager of emerging pathogens and virus
discovery at Abbott.
=93We found none that showed convincing evidence of antibody reactivity
to XMRV,=94 Hackett said in a telephone interview. =93Further actions with
respect to XMRV and blood safety are not warranted.=94
One of the original studies linking XMRV to chronic fatigue led the
American Red Cross, the largest U.S. supplier of blood products, in
December 2010 to ban blood donations from sufferers of the disease.
Another study testing blood taken from 150 people with chronic fatigue
and 150 without the condition is under way. Those results are expected
by the end of the year.
Worthwhile Endeavor
While the work didn=92t yield a new product for the Abbott Park,
Illinois-based company, it was worthwhile, Hackett said. Abbott
already works with academic researchers at the University of
California, San Francisco, and elsewhere to identify and study novel
infectious disease agents, he said.
=93XMRV is a real virus, there=92s no question,=94 he said. =93The issue is
whether it naturally infects humans and causes a health problem. The
reality is that once something is identified, it takes time to work
through the details and come up with a product that can detect the
virus. If it had turned out there was a need and we weren=92t in the
field, it would have taken years longer.=94
The study was presented today at the meeting of the American
Association of Blood Banks in San Diego.
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