“Exhausted” Immune System Cells in ME/CFS: What’s Causing the Dysfunction?

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A chronic viral infection causes the CD8+ T-cell “exhaustion” seen in ME/CFS patients—and thereby many of the physiological symptoms of ME/CFS—according to a Cornell University research team led by Andrew Grimson. (1)

“Comprehensive transcriptomic, epigenomic, and flow cytometric profiles of primary CD8+ T cell subsets implicate T cell exhaustion in pathophysiology” of ME/CFS, they reported. “We show that T cells in ME cases are epigenetically predisposed toward terminal exhaustion and that exhaustion markers are upregulated following exercise challenge. ... Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that chronic viral infection is a factor in ME; by dissecting the molecular basis of T cell dysfunction in ME, we offer potential avenues for treatment.” (1)

They continued:

“Specific subsets of CD8+ T cells, as well as certain innate T cells, displayed the most pronounced dysregulation in ME. We observed upregulation of key transcription factors associated with T cell exhaustion in CD8…