Renegade Bacterial Genetic Sequences in a Stealth Adapted Virus: Biological and Diagnostic Implications

There are major differences between viruses, bacteria, and eukaryotic cells in the structuring of their genomes, modes of replication, and capacity to horizontally transfer genetic sequences. DNA sequencing studies on a virus cultured from a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have confirmed a previously underappreciated capacity of certain viruses to capture and transfer bacterial and cellular genetic sequences between eukaryotic cells as part of the infectious process. The virus originated from an African green monkey simian cytomegalovirus (SCMV). It is termed a stealth adapted virus since infection is not accompanied by inflammation. The immune evasion is attributed to the loss and mutation of the genes coding for the relatively few components that are normally targeted by the cellular immune system. This article provides further elucidation of the origins of many of the bacterial-derived genetic sequences present in the virus. There are multiple clones with close but non-identical sequence alignments with different genomic regions of the Ochrobactrum quorumnocens A44 species of bacteria. Another set of clones matched most closely to diverse genomic regions of Mycoplasma fermentans bacteria. The sequences of several other clones could only be approximately aligned to those of different types of bacteria. The sequence of clone 3B513 is consistent with genetic contributions from the genomes of several types of bacteria. The term viteria refers to viruses with bacteria-derived genetic sequences. They are the likely primary cause of CFS and autism, and to act as major cofactors in many illnesses, including AIDS. As a more general phenomenon viteria with different types of renegade bacterial sequences can lead to the mistaken diagnoses of bacterial rather than viral diseases. It is important to genetically sequence additional stealth adapted viruses from patients with a wide range of illnesses, including those currently being attributed to Mycoplasma, Borrelia, or Streptococcal infections.