Lab Tests Fail to Prove Chronic Fatigue Is Linked to Mouse Virus

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Nine U.S. laboratories were unable to confirm early reports that chronic fatigue syndrome stems from infection with a newly discovered mouse virus, including researchers at the facilities that first raised the possibility.

The authors of the first study in 2009 linking the virus known as XMRV to chronic fatigue syndrome also retracted a portion of the findings, saying DNA samples they received were contaminated before they reached the laboratory. The study and the partial retraction were released today online in a publication of the journal Science.