TT virus : a novel DNA virus producing non A-G hepatitis

Abstract EN

The number of cases of non-A, non-B post transfusion hepatitis was significantly reduced after the discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and subsequent introduction of routine screening of blood donors for IICV antibody.

The recently discovered hepatitis G virus/GB virus C[HGV/GBV-C] was initially implicated an etiologic agent for the small number of residual cases of post-transfusion hepatitis.

It is possible that cases of non A.

non-B, non-C post transfusion hepatitis are caused by yet undiscovered infectious agents. By means of representational difference analysis, a viral clone (N22) of 500 nucleotides was isolated from serum of a patient (TT) with post-transfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology.

The N22 clone showed a poor homology to any reported sequences.

Oligonucleotide primers were deduced from the N22 sequence in serum banded at a sucrose of 1.26g/cm3, indicating its association with a viral particle which was designated TT virus (TTV).

Since nucleic acid of TTV was sensitive to DNAase 1, it would be a DNA virus, TTV DNA was detected in sera from three of the five patients with post-transfusion non-A to G hepatitis, including the index case (TT).

TTV DNA titers closely correlated with aminotransferase levels in the three patients.

These results indicate that TTV would be a novel DNA virus with a possible capacity to induce post-transfusion non-A to G hepatitis.

This was the first report of TTV infection in 1997….