TTV: still an orphan at two years post-discovery

TTV is the acronym for a virus isolated two years ago from a patient whose initials were T.T. It is a naked virus probably belonging to the Circovirid ae family. TTV has a particle size of 30-50 nm and possesses a single-stran d circular DNA. Epidemiologic data are derived from studies looking for the viral DNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Important differences be tween early and recent studies appear to be due to the use of PCR assays ba sed on primers located in different regions of the genome. Based on the mos t recent studies, the prevalence of TTV infections seems very high in the g eneral population. TTV is present in the feces and would be transmitted thr ough the fecal-oral route. It appears to be a ubiquitous virus, also presen t in various animal species, from chickens to chimpanzees. No association t o any pathology has been identified so far, and TTV infection does not have a significant effect on li:ver disease. (C) 2000 Editions scienfiques et m edicales Elsevier SAS.