P Gerner1. 1. Children's Hospital, Klinikum Wuppertal, Teaching Hospital of the University of Düsseldorf, Affiliated Clinic to the University of Witten/Herdecke, Wuppertal, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The existence of a novel human virus, designated TT virus (TTV), has been reported in association with acute and chronic liver disease of unknown cause. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of TTV infection in childhood. STUDY DESIGN: Sera from 104 healthy children, 85 patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and 29 with chronic hepatitis C (HCV), were tested by polymerase chain reaction with primers corresponding to conserved regions within a part of ORF 2. To characterize polymerase chain reaction products, TTV isolates from 15 subjects were directly sequenced. RESULTS: TTV DNA was detected in 22 (21%) of 104 healthy children and in 55 (65%) of 85 and 20 (69%) of 29 HBV- and HCV-infected individuals, respectively. No significant difference was observed in aminotransferase levels of HBV- or HCV-infected patients with or without TTV coinfection. Sequence analysis showed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity between TTV isolates. CONCLUSIONS: A striking difference was found in the prevalence of TTV between healthy children and patients with chronic HBV or HCV infection (P <.0005). However, based on these results, TTV alone or as coinfection does not seem to cause or exacerbate liver damage in childhood.
BACKGROUND: The existence of a novel human virus, designated TT virus (TTV), has been reported in association with acute and chronic liver disease of unknown cause. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of TTV infection in childhood. STUDY DESIGN: Sera from 104 healthy children, 85 patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and 29 with chronic hepatitis C (HCV), were tested by polymerase chain reaction with primers corresponding to conserved regions within a part of ORF 2. To characterize polymerase chain reaction products, TTV isolates from 15 subjects were directly sequenced. RESULTS:TTV DNA was detected in 22 (21%) of 104 healthy children and in 55 (65%) of 85 and 20 (69%) of 29 HBV- and HCV-infected individuals, respectively. No significant difference was observed in aminotransferase levels of HBV- or HCV-infectedpatients with or without TTV coinfection. Sequence analysis showed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity between TTV isolates. CONCLUSIONS: A striking difference was found in the prevalence of TTV between healthy children and patients with chronic HBV or HCV infection (P <.0005). However, based on these results, TTV alone or as coinfection does not seem to cause or exacerbate liver damage in childhood.
Authors: Vasiliy I Reshetnyak; Igor V Maev; Alexandr I Burmistrov; Igor A Chekmazov; Tatiana I Karlovich Journal: World J Gastroenterol Date: 2020-04-21 Impact factor: 5.742