TT virus infection in hemodialysis patients

OBJECTIVE: Recently, TT virus (TTV), associated with post transfusion hepat itis, was discovered. Prevalence of TTV infection in maintenance hemodialys is (HD) units and its pathogenicity to liver was investigated. METHODS: A total of 115 patients on HD were assessed for presence of serum TTV. DNA was purified from sera, and nested polymerase chain reaction was d one for the detection of TTV DNA. RESULTS: TTV was detected in 59 patients on HD (51.3%), as compared with he althy blood donors (15 of 91 [16.5%], p < 0.0001). Serum HCV RNA and HBs an tigen were positive in 16 and three patients, respectively. The prevalence rate of TTV was already 58.3% in the patients on HD for only 1 yr, and did not change according to the duration of HD until 15 yr on HD. TTV was posit ive in 51.2% (43 of 84) of the patients with history of blood transfusion, and in 51.6% (16 of 31) of those without it. In HCV-negative patients, alan ine aminotransferase (ALT) levels of TTV-positive patients were similar to those of TTV-negative patients. Contrarily, in HCV-positive patients, ALT l evels were more frequently greater than or equal to 15 IU/L in TTV-positive patients (14 of 18) than in TTV-negative patients (five of 15) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TTV infection is remarkably prevalent in patients on HD and in healthy blood donors. It is suggested that TTV generally does not cause li ver disease by itself, but there remains the possibility that TTV may aggra vate liver disease caused by HCV. (Am J Gastroenterol 1999;94:3567-3570. (C ) 1999 by Am. Coll. of Gastroenterology).