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 states that he 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.

Dr Markov has stated that he has evidence ME/CFS is caused by a bacterial dysbiosis in the kidneys (possibly on the mucous membranes of the renal pelvis and calyces).
Image: Left kidney, with contrast improved and cropping. Betts, JG; Young, KA; Wise, JA; Johnson, E; Poe, B; Kruse, DH; Korol, O; Johnson, JE; Womble, M; DeSaix, P (June 19, 2013). "25.3 Gross Anatomy of the Kidney". Anatomy and Physiology. OpenStax. Houston, Texas. Retrieved February 13, 2023.

Dr Markov states that 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).

Treatment

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 states that he 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).

Dr Igor Markov finds CBIS in more than 95% of ME/CFS patients who satisfy the CDC's 1994 Fukuda criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. By contrast, in 70 adult healthy controls, Dr Markov found only 7% have nephrodysbacteriosis. Dr Markov speculates that the kidney bacterial dysbiosis of nephrodysbacteriosis might be located in the calyces and renal pelvis, hollow areas of the kidney which are lined with mucous membranes, but wants other researchers to investigate in order to determine the precise location of the dysbiosis.

In some ME/CFS patients, Dr Markov finds that the culprit bacterial dysbiosis that is secreting bacterial toxins into the bloodstream is located in the nasopharynx, rather than (or in addition to) the kidneys. In these cases, Dr Markov takes a sample of the nasopharynx bacteria in order to make an autovaccine for the patient.

Note that endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) is not the only bacterial toxin involved with CBIS. Dr Markov states he often finds enterococcus, staphylococcus and streptococcus in nephrodysbacteriosis, and these gram-positive bacteria do not produce endotoxin, but produce various exotoxins.

Bacterial species found in nephrodysbacteriosis

Dr Markov reports thats in nephrodysbacteriosis, the following bacteria are typically detected in the urine:

• Enterococcus + Escherichia coli in 93% of patients
• Enterococcus — 37%
• Escherichia coli — 25%
• Staphylococcus — 10%
• Klebsiella — 9%
• Streptococcus — 5%
• Proteus — 5%
• Enterobacter — 4%
• Morganella — 2%
• Acinetobacter — 1%
• Citrobacter — 0.7%
• Alcaligenes faecalis — 0.3%
• Hafnia — 0.2%
• Serratia — 0.2%

The percentages indicate the frequency that the bacterial species is found in CBIS patients.

Dr Markov says nephrodysbacteriosis can arise when Enterococcus or Enterobacter bacteria from the intestines translocate into the kidneys; or when Staphylococcus and Streptococcus from the nasopharynx translocate into the kidneys.

Analysis of the bacterial toxins in the blood of CBIS patients

In Dr Igor Markov's as yet unpublished study "CBIS Report 8. Toxicological Diagnosis", he reports the results of toxicological analysis of the blood of 818 patients with CBIS and nephrodysbacteriosis. His toxicological analysis found that CBIS patients have high levels of toxic proteins originating from bacteria in their blood.

The analysis of bacterial toxins in the blood was done by means of the Toxicon diagnostic system, a lab test developed by a group of Ukrainian scientists led by pediatric toxicologist Dr Borys S. Sheiman. The Toxicon lab test detects toxic proteomes of bacteria (toxicoproteomics).

According to the Toxicon test, Dr Markov found the majority of CBIS patients (81%) have severe toxemia, and 17% have moderate toxemia. Toxemia is blood poisoning from bacterial toxins.

Note that toxemia (bacterial toxins only in the blood) is not the same as septicemia (both bacteria and their toxins in the blood).

In terms of the bacterial species that these bacterial toxins originate from, the Toxicon test found that in 50% of CBIS patients, the toxins came from Enterococcus faecalis.

The frequency that other bacterial toxins were found in the blood in CBIS is shown below:

Bacterial Toxins Found in the Blood of CBIS Patients

• Enterococcus faecalis — in 50% of patients
• Escherichia coli — 12%
• Enterococcus faecalis + Escherichia coli (both together) — 27%
• Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus haemolyticus — 6%
• Klebsiella pneumonia — 4%
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa — 1%

The Toxicon lab test found that the detoxification and elimination of toxic proteomes from the blood of CBIS patients was mainly carried out through macrophages of mesenchymal origin in 75% of patients, through the liver in 23% of patients, and via the kidneys in 2% of patients.

Notable studies

• 2021, Chronic bacterial intoxication syndrome under the mask of CFS/ME: 8th International Congress on Infectious Diseases by Dr Igor Markov and Dr Artem Markov.
• Other CBIS papers from Dr Markov (paywalled)
• 2021, Prolonged subfebrile condition, pyretic fever and febrile attacks of unknown genesis: new approach to diagnosis and treatment. Part 1. Clinical picture — (Abstract in English)
• 2021, Prolonged subfebrile condition, pyretic fever and febrile attacks of unknown genesis: new approach to diagnosis and treatment. Part 2. Diagnostics and treatment — ( Abstract in English)

Evidence

Dr Markov's CIBS hypothesis and findings have not yet being subject to an independent peer review process.

Learn more

• 2021, Dr Igor Markov Says ME/CFS Is Caused by a Bacterial Dysbiosis in the Kidneys - Phoenix Rising thread
• Phoenix Rising Thread of Dr Oleg Markov (Dr Igor Markov's brother) where Oleg posted a much of the info used in this article

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and CBIS - Vitacell

• 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

See also

• Staphylococcus vaccine
• Dysbiosis
• Intestinal permeability