ReviewFrontiers in immunology2018
Infection Elicited Autoimmunity and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Explanatory Model.
Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 120 citations in OpenAlex.
- Open-label study with the monoamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Brain and behavior · 2021Trial
- Sex- and menopause-related differences in immune and gastrointestinal symptom architecture in ME/CFS: evidence from factor analysis and structural equation modeling.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Review of Recent Evidence and Future Research Directions Toward the Elucidation of a Metabolic, Immunologic, and Signaling Cascade.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Tryptophan Metabolism and Aryl-Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonists in the Gut Microbiome of People With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.MicrobiologyOpen · 2026Article
- From fatigue to physiology: Submaximal 2-day cardiopulmonary exercise test and emerging standards in long COVID.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Use and Perceived Helpfulness of Different Intervention Strategies in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Depression.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- A Host-Clinical Integrated Prediction Model for Early Sepsis Risk in Diabetic Patients with Acute Infections: Development and Internal Validation.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Article
- Insights into the Complex Biological Network Underlying Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Decreased risk of chronic fatigue syndrome following influenza vaccine: a 20-year population-based retrospective study.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- The potential therapeutic approaches targeting gut health in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): a narrative review.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Review
- The microbiota-gut-brain axis in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a narrative review of an emerging field.European journal of translational myology · 2025Article
- Article
- Uncovering the Hidden Link Between the Aberrant Intestinal Microbiome and Fibromyalgia.Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025Article
- The origin of autoimmune diseases: is there a role for ancestral HLA-II haplotypes in immune hyperactivity.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Concentrations of uremic bacterial metabolites in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Deep sequencing of BCR heavy chain repertoires in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- The emerging role of exosomal LncRNAs in chronic fatigue syndrome: from intercellular communication to disease biomarkers.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2025Review
- Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain: A Potential Biomarker for Neurological Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- IgG Antibody Responses to Epstein-Barr Virus in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Their Effective Potential for Disease Diagnosis and Pathological Antigenic Mimicry.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Catalytic Antibodies May Contribute to Demyelination in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Biochemistry · 2024Article
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) often also called chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a common, debilitating, disease of unknown origin. Although a subject of controversy and a considerable scientific literature, we think that a solid understanding of ME/CFS pathogenesis is emerging. In this study, we compiled recent findings and placed them in the context of the clinical picture and natural history of the disease. A pattern emerged, giving rise to an explanatory model. ME/CFS often starts after or during an infection. A logical explanation is that the infection initiates an autoreactive process, which affects several functions, including brain and energy metabolism. According to our model for ME/CFS pathogenesis, patients with a genetic predisposition and dysbiosis experience a gradual development of B cell clones prone to autoreactivity. Under normal circumstances these B cell offsprings would have led to tolerance. Subsequent exogenous microbial exposition (triggering) can lead to comorbidities such as fibromyalgia, thyroid disorder, and orthostatic hypotension. A decisive infectious trigger may then lead to immunization against autoantigens involved in aerobic energy production and/or hormone receptors and ion channel proteins, producing postexertional malaise and ME/CFS, affecting both muscle and brain. In principle, cloning and sequencing of immunoglobulin variable domains could reveal the evolution of pathogenic clones. Although evidence consistent with the model accumulated in recent years, there are several missing links in it. Hopefully, the hypothesis generates testable propositions that can augment the understanding of the pathogenesis of ME/CFS.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.