Detection of the Frequency of the Novel TT virus by PCR and Its Role in the Induction of Hepatic Injuries in Blood Donors in West Azerbaijan, Iran

In 1997, a novel DNA virus was isolated from the serum of a patient in Japan, and it was named TT virus (TTV). As the virus is replicated in liver and has the ability to induce apoptosis in hepatocytes (Hepatocellular carcinoma cells) it is hypothesized that TTV is an opportunistic virus and in certain conditions causes liver damage. In this study the frequency of infection with TTV was detected in two groups of healthy and hepatitis B infected blood donors in the West Azerbaijan Province. Serum samples were collected from 100 healthy and 40 HBs Ag positive donors in west Azerbaijan Blood Transfusion Center. Patients’ characteristics, sex, age and blood groups were recorded. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the sera were measured and then DNA was extracted and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using T801 and T935 consensus primers to amplify a 199 bp segment of a much conserved non-coding region of the genome (UTR). TTV was detected in 69% and 75% of healthy and hepatitis B infected blood donors respectively. No significant difference was observed in the frequency of the infection with TTV in different blood groups or age groups (P>0.05). In each group of blood donors the level of ALT and AST were not significantly different in TTV infected and non-infected individuals (P>0.05). Regarding the high frequency of infection in healthy individuals and considering the level of hepatic enzymes in TTV infected individuals; it seems that the virus or at least its investigated genotypes have not been pathogenic for the infected individuals examined.