A. Shibuya et al., Transfusion transmitted virus infection in patients on maintenance haemodialysis and in hospital workers, J HOSP INF, 47(4), 2001, pp. 277-281
A newly discovered DNA virus, transfusion transmitted virus (TTV), was isol
ated from a post-transfusional hepatitis patient in Japan. A high prevalenc
e (32-46%) of TTV infections in patients receiving maintenance haemodialysi
s (HD) has been reported but the occupational risk of TTV on HD units has n
ot yet been determined. We determined the prevalence of TTV in workers in t
he same HD unit and the risk factors for TTV infection in HD patients, sign
ificantly higher than that in the HD unit (13 of 39, 33.3%; P=0.002) and no
n-HD healthcare workers (20 of 75, 26.7%; P <0.001). A logistic regression
analysis showed that male gender and negative test results for hepatitis G
virus RNA were risk factors for TTV infection, but prior blood transfusion
and duration of HD were not. Stepwise selection of multiple regression anal
ysis showed that the presence of hepatitis C virus RNA was the only signifi
cant predictor for high serum ALT activity, and that the presence of TTV DN
A was not. These results indicate that TTV is one of the prevalent human vi
ruses transmissible either parenterally or nonparenterally in HD patients,
but the occupational risk of TTV infection in HD unit workers is as low as
in other healthcare workers. The pathogenic effects of TTV on the liver app
ear to be limited. (C) 2001 The Hospital Infection Society.