Abstract:
Studies have shown that a proportion of patients with severe chronic infection due to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lack antibody to a component of EBV nuclear antigen. However, it is not clear whether this circumstance is one of cause or effect in regard to the pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS); it is clearly not pathognomonic since it also occurs in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus and–rarely–in those with other EBV-related conditions. Stress and depression may be other pathogenetic mechanisms that could reactivate EBV and lead to CFS; examples of this phenomenon are given. The syndrome might also follow certain other viral infections as part of a process that has been called postinfectious neurasthenia. Currently, the cause(s) and cure of CFS, a common and distressing syndrome, are enigmatic and require multidisciplinary study.
Source: Evans AS. Chronic fatigue syndrome: thoughts on pathogenesis. Rev Infect Dis. 1991 Jan-Feb;13 Suppl 1:S56-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1850544