Dr Markov's chronic bacterial intoxication syndrome (CBIS) theory of ME/CFS

Dr Igor Markov believes that ME/CFS is caused by a chronic bacterial dysbiosis in the kidneys, a condition he has named nephrodysbacteriosis. Dr Markov discovered this kidney dysbiosis constantly releases a range of bacterial toxins into the bloodstream, causing a body-wide toxic condition he has called the chronic bacterial intoxication syndrome (CBIS). He says this kidney dysbiosis leads to CBIS, which in turn causes ME/CFS.

Nephrodysbacteriosis is an imbalance or overgrowth of bacteria in the kidney, which is not quite the same as a regular kidney infection (pyelonephritis) or a regular urinary tract infection. Nephrodysbacteriosis would be more analogous to intestinal dysbiosis. Dr Markov says nephrodysbacteriosis is a previously unknown medical condition that he himself discovered.

Dr Markov says this kidney dysbiosis is locally asymptomatic, and unlike a regular kidney infection, produces no local inflammatory response in the kidney. Dr Markov believes nephrodysbacteriosis causes ME/CFS, because when he treats the nephrodysbacteriosis in ME/CFS patients, he finds 93% of his patients are fully and permanently cured of their ME/CFS (although the treatment can take up to 3 years).

To treat nephrodysbacteriosis, Dr Markov has pioneered the use of autovaccine therapy. Autovaccines are a medical technology which date back to 1900, in the pre-antibiotic era. These vaccines work by injecting the patient with their own killed bacteria, in order to stimulate an immune response to target those bacteria.

Using a high sensitivity urine test, Dr Markov isolates and identifies the bacterial species causing nephrodysbacteriosis in the kidneys of ME/CFS patients. Using these live bacteria, he then creates an autovaccine. An autovaccine consists of the isolated bacteria which have been heat or chemically killed to render them safe for injection. Dr Markov then gives ME/CFS patients several courses of injections with this autovaccine therapy. He says this autovaccine therapy gradually fixes the nephrodysbacteriosis, which in turn permanently cures the ME/CFS.

Dr Markov discovered that antibiotics have no long-term efficacy for treating nephrodysbacteriosis (and finds antibiotics can actually make the kidney dysbiosis worse). But by using autovaccines to stimulate the immune system to mount a targeted attack on the specific bacteria causing the kidney dysbiosis, Dr Markov finds his autovaccine therapy fixes the dysbiosis, and this in turn cures ME/CFS.

Dr Igor Markov has treated 4288 ME/CFS patients (children and adults) with his autovaccine therapy from the period 2009 to 2021, and reports that 93% of his patients with nephrodysbacteriosis achieved a full and permanent recovery from ME/CFS (although he says some patients may relapse after 5 to 7 years, but this can be fixed with additional autovaccine therapy).

Endotoxin (LPS) is not the only bacterial toxin that Dr Markov says is involved with CBIS. Dr Markov often finds Enterococcus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus in nephrodysbacteriosis, and these gram-positive bacteria do not produce endotoxin, but produce various exotoxins.

Dr Igor Markov finds CBIS in more than 95% of ME/CFS patients who satisfy the CDC 1994 Fukuda criteria. By contrast, in 70 adult healthy controls, Dr Markov found only 7% have nephrodysbacteriosis.

Learn more

 * Dr Igor Markov Says ME/CFS Is Caused by a Bacterial Dysbiosis in the Kidneys Phoenix Rising thread, 2021.


 * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and CBIS Information page in English.


 * Chronic bacterial intoxication syndrome under the mask of CFS/ME Published paper by Dr Igor Markov and Dr Artem Markov, 2021.


 * Other CBIS papers from Dr Markov (paywalled).


 * Chronic fatigue syndrome Video by Dr Igor Markov.


 * Chronic bacterial intoxication syndrome Video by Dr Igor Markov.


 * Chronic bacterial intoxication syndrome treatment Video by Dr Igor Markov.


 * Dr Markov's vaccine patents.


 * Vitacell Clinic and Markov Clinic (two different clinics in Kyiv run by Dr Igor Markov and his son Dr Artem Markov).