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New findings on chronic fatigue, Gulf War syndromes
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9-6-99 Huntington Beach, Calif. A new study released last week may shed light on a number of chronic illnesses, including Gulf War syndrome (GWS). The report, published in the journal Medical Sentinel, details a link between primitive, slow-growing bacteria called mycoplasmas and the chronic infections that are often found in veterans with GWS, as well as patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome, and even rheumatoid arthritis. The study's principal author, Garth L. Nicholson, PhD, chief scientific officer and research professor at the Institute for Molecular Medicine in Huntington Beach, said that mycoplasmas probably do not cause these diseases, but their presence may exacerbate particular symptoms. In fact, multiple mycoplasmal blood infections have been found in about half the patients with GWS and 70 percent of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome, he said. Gulf War veterans may have become susceptible to the mycoplasmal infections during the war because of exposure to chemical agents, Nicholson said. "We think the chemicals suppressed their immune systems," he said. "We see the same thing in the civilian population with chemicals, insecticides, or acute viral episodes." Scientists are still learning about the many kinds of mycoplasmas, primitive microorganisms that have no cell wall. Treatment for the chronic infections they may cause, including GWS, involves the use of powerful antibiotics for more than one year. Even then, no cure is certain. "The recovery is a very slow process. It's very difficult to eradicate this bacteria. These are slow, smoldering infections that are difficult to diagnose," Nicholson said. The Veterans Administration has used the findings to back a 30-hospital diagnosis and treatment trial involving 450 veterans with GWS, said Michael E. Kilpatrick, MD, deputy director for the Department of Defense's Office for Gulf War Illnesses. "If we could replicate these findings, that may be something to consider," Kilpatrick said. "It's offering a very concrete area for more research. It's not a definitive answer yet … but this is a hypothesis that does need to be explored."
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