Scientists say they have identified a distinct biological signature for myalgic encephalomyelitis/CFS in the blood of patients with severe disease, paving the way for a simple diagnostic test.

The UK researchers used more than 200 blood biomarkers to develop a test that reportedly distinguishes myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/CFS with 96% accuracy.

These changes formed a distinct biological signature that was not present in the blood of the control group, according to the University of East Anglia researchers.

With no definitive tests currently available, the discovery has been met with cautious optimism by those in the field, including ME/CFS researcher Dr Sarah Annesley (PhD), who heads up La Trobe University’s Molecular Cell Biology Group in Melbourne.