Key result
PCR-based detection of XMRV in clinical samples is highly susceptible to false positives due to contamination from mouse DNA, commercial PCR reagents, and human tumor cell lines.
PCR evidence previously used to support claims of XMRV infection in prostate cancer and CFS patients is highly likely the result of laboratory contamination.
Efforts to assess the prevalence of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) in patients with prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome have relied heavily on PCR-based testing of clinical samples and have yielded widely divergent findings. This week in Retrovirology, reports from four independent research groups illustrate the extreme care needed to exclude DNA or RNA contamination in PCR analyses of XMRV. In addition, phylogenetic evidence suggesting that previously-published XMRV sequences originated from a commonly-used prostate carcinoma cell line (22Rv1) is presented. These findings raise important questions regarding the provenance of XMRV and its potential connection to human disease.
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Robert A. Smith (2010) conducted an editorial in Prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome. PCR-based testing for XMRV was evaluated. PCR-based detection of XMRV in clinical samples is highly susceptible to false positives due to contamination from mouse DNA, commercial PCR reagents, and human tumor cell lines.
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