Study: Gulf War syndrome, viral infection may be linked

TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- A viral infection may help explain the mystery of so-called Gulf War Syndrome, according to new research.

A microbiologist reported finding a certain genetic material in about 80 percent of Gulf War-era soldiers tested, compared with a rate of just 5 percent in the general population.

"We found a fragment, a piece of a virus, that's floating in the blood of Gulf War veterans, and it's not in the general population," said Dr. Howard Urnovitz, of Berkeley, California.

Urnovitz, who has been researching Gulf War syndrome for two years, also tested eight veterans not deployed to the Gulf. All showed the same genetic material, but did not develop syndrome symptoms.

That may imply most or all of the soldiers may have picked up the suspected virus before their deployment, then something in the Gulf triggered their illnesses.

Specifically, Urnovitz said he found unique genetic bands in 29 of 36 Gulf War veterans from California and Arkansas, as well as in eight Arkansas veterans who did not serve in the region. A random selection of 22 civilians found the band in only one person.

Military officials declined to comment on Urnovitz's study until it could be analyzed.

The Pentagon recently conceded the destruction of an ammunition depot at Khamisiyah, Iraq, in March 1991 may have exposed more than 15,000 troops to nerve gas.

Veterans Affairs Dr. Robert Roswell said he doubts chemical exposure caused most of the Gulf War illnesses, and said the Urnovitz findings need further examination.

"It's important that much larger numbers be evaluated before we can draw even preliminary conclusions from such a study," Roswell said.

Urnovitz said symptoms found in veterans -- fatigue, memory loss and respiratory problems -- are similar to those in what he called epidemic fatigue syndromes, viral infections that have struck in industrial areas.

Estimates vary, but veterans' groups claim at least 70,000 Gulf War vets suffer from the mystery symptoms.

Urnovitz presented his findings Monday to the National Gulf War Resource Center's conference in Tampa, Florida.

Correspondent Brian Cabell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• Pentagon: Gulf troop exposure to chemical weapons may be larger - October 1, 1996
• Pentagon takes back comments on anti-nerve agent pill - September 27, 1996
• Pentagon says it hid drug risk from Gulf War troops - September 26, 1996

Related sites:

• ChronicIllnet - Calypte Biomedical in Berkeley
• DefenseLINK
• Gulf War Syndrome Cover up, from Covert Action Quarterly
• Gulflink: Perisan GUlf War Veteran's Illnesses home page

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