London - Strong evidence emerged yesterday that a virus which invaded the human genome millions of years ago may be a major cause of schizophrenia. US and German scientists found the molecular fingerprint of the retrovirus in fluid from the brains and spinal cords of patients with the disabling mental illness.
About 30 per cent of people with acute schizophrenia, and 7 per cent of those with a chronic form of the disease had the retrovirus signature, but there was no sign of it in the cerebrospinal fluid of healthy individuals.