f Clinical Pathology, linking the disease CFS with enteroviruses that are known to trigger off severe gastrointestinal and respiratory infections.

"This is sort of a new beginning. Now we can have development of antiviral drugs," said Dr. Chia. "We don't have anything for these poor people, although we've tried a number of things. Now we can study how these viruses behave and how we can kill them."

Statitics show that over a million Americans suffer from this disease and that treating it costs the USA $9 billion every year.

Known to occur more frequently in women between 40 -60 years, than in men, its symptoms are acute sleeping problems, difficulties with concentration and memory, and inexplicable exhaustion. In its severest forms it can be as immobilizing as multiple sclerosis.

First diagnosed about 30 years ago, its causes are as yet not apparent, and some have held various viruses such as parvovirus and Epstein-Barr virus responsible for it, but it was difficult to determine the presence of the virus as it did not seem to cause any real damage to any organ. Enteroviruses, infect the bowel, and cause acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Of over 70 different varieties, they attack the central nervous system, muscles and heart.

Dr. Chia began his quest by examining 3,000 blood samples from 165 CFS patients and 34 people without the disorder. After taking multiple samples from each patient Chia found proof of possible chronic infection in 82 percent of the CFS patients and in 20 percent of the well patients. He also found evidence that 35% of the patients had enteroviruses.

Earlier European investigators had discovered enteroviruses in the muscle and heart brain, of a CFS patient. Chia therefore started examining the stomach which is in his words the viruses' "area of replication."

"If we were to take one sample from each patient, it would be less than 5 percent," Chia said. "We realized this wasn't the way to look at it. The assumption we made about CFS that we have to find the virus in their blood is totally wrong, so we started looking for the viruses in tissue, meat."

After the stomach biopsies endoscopies were performed on 165 CFS patients who had been suffering from gastrointestinal complaints for a long time, it was found that 82% of the specimens taken from CFS patients had positive results, whereas the same was found in only 20% of samples taken from healthy people. In many of the patients the infection had occurred as far back as twenty years.

A professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and director of the Gulf War Illness Center at the VA Medical Center, Dr. Nancy Klimas observed that Chia had been successful because he was observing the intestinal tract while others were yet observing the bloodstream.

Chia contends that although the disease can be set off by other infections, at least 50% of the cases of CFS with possibly be caused by enteroviruses. The enterovirus "has adapted to grow inside of a cell but does not kill it," said Chia. Because the cell protects the virus and the attempts by the body's immune system to fight off the virus are unsuccessful. The continuous struggle by the immune system causes the fatigue and stomach pain.

"It makes sense to me as an infectious disease. This makes all the sense in the world," Chia said. "If this is a virus, it doesn't destroy the cells, it hides inside the cells. It's one smart little virus."

Chia gives full credit to his son without whose support he would not have been able to achieve what he did.