Detection of TTV DNA in serum of patients with chronic liver disease and interferon efficacy

To investigate the positivity rate of TTV, a novel transfusion-transmitted virus, in serum of patients with chronic liver diseases as well as the efficacy of interferon treatment, serum samples of 183 cases with chronic liver diseases and 111 healthy controls were examined by nested PCR and all PCR products were sequenced. In total 11.5% (21/183) of serum was positive for TTV DNA, including nine (8.5%) of 106 patients with chronic hepatitis C, two (14.3%) of 14 with non A, B, C liver disease, three (20%) of 15 with cirrhosis, four (20%) of 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, one (14.3%) of seven patients with alcoholic liver disease, one (7.7%) of 13 with primary biliary cirrhosis, one (12.5%) of eight patients with autoimmune hepatitis and five (4.5%) of 111 healthy controls. A total of 11 patients had point mutations in the nucleotide region between 2061 and 2257 from N-terminal end. A total of five patients positive for TTV DNA were examined before and after interferon treatment. Four patients had no detectable TTV DNA after interferon treatment, but one patient was still positive. These findings suggest that TTV infection is not correlated with a specific chronic liver disease. Although the sample size was very small, TTV appeared to be sensitive to interferon therapy. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.