Susan Levine



Susan M. Levine, MD, works with ME/CFS patients at her medical office in New York City, New York, United States. She is currently the chair of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC) which advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her CFSAC term runs from 10 May 2014 to 10 May 2017. She was a voting member of the committee for the term 10 May 2010 to 10 May 2014.

Notable studies

 * 2016, Reduced diversity and altered composition of the gut microbiome in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
 * 2015, Findings from a clinical and laboratory database developed for discovery of pathogenic mechanisms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Abstract
 * 2015, Chronic fatigue syndrome and co-morbid and consequent conditions: evidence from a multi-site clinical epidemiology study. Abstract
 * 2015, Distinct plasma immune signatures in ME/CFS are present early in the course of illness  FULL TEXT"'Abstract: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is an unexplained incapacitating illness that may affect up to 4 million people in the United States alone. There are no validated laboratory tests for diagnosis or management despite global efforts to find biomarkers of disease. We considered the possibility that inability to identify such biomarkers reflected variations in diagnostic criteria and laboratory methods as well as the timing of sample collection during the course of the illness. Accordingly, we leveraged two large, multicenter cohort studies of ME/CFS to assess the relationship of immune signatures with diagnosis, illness duration, and other clinical variables. Controls were frequency-matched on key variables known to affect immune status, including season of sampling and geographic site, in addition to age and sex. We report here distinct alterations in plasma immune signatures early in the course of ME/CFS (n = 52) relative to healthy controls (n = 348) that are not present in subjects with longer duration of illness (n = 246). Analyses based on disease duration revealed that early ME/CFS cases had a prominent activation of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines as well as dissociation of intercytokine regulatory networks. We found a stronger correlation of cytokine alterations with illness duration than with measures of illness severity, suggesting that the immunopathology of ME/CFS is not static. These findings have critical implications for discovery of interventional strategies and early diagnosis of ME/CFS.'"
 * 1999, Borna Disease Virus Proteins in Patients with CFS"'Summary - Bornavirus is a member of a newly recognized virus family, Bornaviridae, and is neurotropic for a wide range of animal species, including birds, rodents, horses, and humans. Although little is known about its mode of transmission and it has not been clearly linked to any human disease, an association between borna viruses and neuro-psychiatric disorders has been suggested. Several researchers have also isolated this organism from patients who meet the clinical criteria for the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). However, due to non-standardization of assay protocols, lack of a large study population and the possibility of contamination in certain laboratory settings, the true prevalence of Bornaviral proteins and their possible role in the pathogenesis of at least a subgroup of CFS patients remains undefined. We analyzed the serum immune reactivity to Borna Disease Virus (BDV) in 77 CFS patients and in 33 healthy normal controls using an ELISA based assay of 3 different recombinant BDV proteins. Of the 6 samples that displayed immunoreactivity to 2 or more BDV proteins, 5 were from patients (83.3%). Two samples, both from CFS patients, displayed immunoreactivity to 3 BDV proteins.'"

Clinic location

 * 115 E 72nd St.,
 * New York, NY 10021
 * Tel: (212) 472-4816

Talks & interviews

 * 17 Mar 2016, Solve ME/CFS Initiative Webinar - The Future of ME/CFS
 * Part 1 - Written questions and answers to Dr. Levine's webinar
 * Part 2 - Written questions and answers to Dr. Levine's webinar

Open Letter to The Lancet
Two open letters to the editor of The Lancet urged the editor to commission a fully independent review of the PACE trial, which the journal had published in 2011. In 2016, Dr. Levine, along with 41 colleagues in the ME/CFS field, signed the second letter.
 * 10 February 2016, An open letter to The Lancet, again - Virology blog

Online presence

 * Chronic Fatigue Initiative - Susan M. Levine, MD
 * PubMed - Susan Levine