Transfusion Transmitted Virus (TTV) Infection in Thalassemic Patients

Abstract: TTV was first isolated from the serum of a Japanese patient with post transfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology in 1977. TTV has been visualized by electron microscopy and was found to be an unenveloped, small, spherical particle with a diameter of 30-32 nm, and is a member of family related to Circovridae family. The exact role of TTV in the pathogenesis of liver disease is yet to be established. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of TTV in thalassemic patients in Ahwaz. Viral DNA was studied in 250 thalasemic patients. The results were compared with those of 250 blood donor controls. DNA was extracted from plasma and amplified by semi nested polymerase chain reaction with reported primer sets from a conserved region of the TTV genome. 57.2% (143/250) samples obtained from patients and 20% (54/250) of blood donors were positive for TTV-DNA detected by PCR. The difference in TTV prevalence between the two groups was statistically (χ²) significant (P= 0.0001). The prevalence of TTV-DNA in Iranian thalassemic patients is high, which is the same as other countries.