Janice Kent, who lives in Hurstpierpoint, set up her reMEmber charity ten years ago to help people diagnosed with ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.

She said: "The new research comes from the Whittmore Peterson Institute in America. Published in the well respected journal Science, it suggests the retro-virus XMRV could be the cause of ME.

"This virus has also been found in patients suffering from prostate cancer. It is a mouse virus that could have jumped species.

"The institute has shared samples with a London research centre that reMEmber made a donation to last year. There is a long way to go with this and I advise patients not to anticipate an early cure just around the corner but it is potentially interesting and may be really important."

Researchers found the virus in 67 per cent of ME patients in the study compared to under 4 per cent of the general population.

Although the study did not conclusively prove a link between XMRV and chronic fatigue, it is raising hopes that people with the virus could be treated with a vaccine or anti-viral drugs.

Janice, who set up her charity after being diagnosed with ME and finding there was little support for sufferers, said the research would give the often ignored condition a much higher profile.

She said: "Many patients not only lose their health but their jobs, incomes and even their homes as they can no longer pay their mortgages.
"There can be misunderstanding from schools and social workers about children who are ill and sometimes even from health professionals."

ME sufferer Helen Lee, 60, from Brighton added: "Too many people think ME is all in the mind and this research shows it is a physical condition. I had glandular fever in 1997 and never really recovered. It's a multifaceted illness and I think there is probably more than one virus involved."