Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Feb 04, 2026 1 hour, 53 minutes ago
Medical News:
A major international study uncovers how immune antibodies may quietly disrupt cellular energy and inflammation in ME/CFS and post-COVID-19 illness
A new international study has uncovered compelling evidence that immune antibodies from people suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including post-COVID-19, ME/CFS, may directly interfere with how cells manage energy and inflammatory responses. The findings offer fresh biological clues into why patients experience persistent exhaustion, brain fog, and post exertional malaise long after infections have cleared.
ME/CFS is a long term and often disabling condition that affects millions worldwide. It is frequently triggered by viral infections and has also emerged in many people following COVID-19. Despite years of research, the biological mechanisms behind the illness have remained unclear, leaving patients with limited treatment options and little validation.
How Antibodies Became the Focus of The Study
Researchers examined Immunoglobulin G or IgG antibodies taken from the blood of individuals diagnosed with post infectious ME/CFS, post-COVID ME/CFS, multiple sclerosis, and healthy volunteers. Antibodies are normally protective, helping the body fight infections. However, growing evidence suggests that in some chronic illnesses, antibodies may behave abnormally and harm the body’s own cells.
In this
Medical News report, scientists focused on how these antibodies interact with endothelial cells, which line blood vessels and play a key role in regulating blood flow, oxygen delivery, and inflammation throughout the body.
Key Findings and Cellular Energy Disruption
The researchers found that IgG antibodies from ME/CFS patients entered endothelial cells and caused mitochondria, the cell’s energy producing structures, to fragment. While this did not completely shut down energy production, it significantly altered how cells responded to stress and energy demands.
Mitochondrial fragmentation was particularly noticeable in samples from female ME/CFS patients, reflecting the higher prevalence of the illness among women. Importantly, antibodies from multiple sclerosis patients did not produce the same effect, suggesting the phenomenon is specific to ME/CFS rather than a general autoimmune response.
Further testing showed that these antibodies changed how cells managed their energy reserves, forcing them into a constant state of metabolic stress. This may help explain why ME/CFS patients feel exhausted after even minimal physical or mental activity.
Inflammation And Immune Signaling Effects
Beyond energy disruption, the study also found that antibodies from ME/CFS and post-COVID-19 ME/CFS patients triggered abnormal release of inflammatory signaling molecules from immune cells. These inflammatory changes varied between patient groups, with post-COVID-19 ME/CFS samples showing stronger inflammation related patterns.
Proteomic analysis revealed that immune complexes in ME/CFS patients were enriched with proteins linked to muscle maintenance, blood vessel function, and extracellular matrix organization, all of which are crucial for physical stamina and circulation.
Why These
Findings Matter
The study strongly supports the idea that ME/CFS is driven by measurable biological changes rather than psychological factors. It also suggests that faulty antibodies may play a direct role in driving long term symptoms by subtly altering cellular energy handling and immune balance.
Conclusion
These findings provide a critical step forward in understanding ME/CFS and post COVID ME/CFS as biologically grounded illnesses. By identifying how patient derived antibodies disrupt mitochondria, energy regulation, and inflammation, the study opens the door to future diagnostic tools and targeted therapies aimed at correcting immune driven metabolic stress rather than merely managing symptoms.
The researchers involved in the study are from the Institute of Virology and Immunobiology at the University of Würzburg in Germany, Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States, Riga Stradiņš University in Latvia, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany, the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, and the University Hospital Schleswig Holstein in Germany.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Brain Behavior and Immunity Health.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354626000207
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Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
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