title: Clinicopathological features of serum TTV DNA-positive non-A-G liver diseases in Japan.
abstract: This study was undertaken to detect TTV DNA in serum samples from patients with non-A, non-B, non-C, non-E, and non-G (non-A-G) liver diseases and from blood donors, and to investigate the clinicopathological features of TTV infection including its prevalence and influence on liver disease. The study population consisted of 20 patients with non-A-G liver diseases (nine with chronic hepatitis (CH), six with liver cirrhosis (LC), and five with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as 47 blood donors. Detection of TTV DNA was conducted with 200 &mgr;l of serum by the nested polymerase chain reaction. The detection rate of TTV DNA by subject category was CH 55.9; LC 66.7; HCC 60%; and blood donors 28%. Regarding blood biochemistry, TTV DNA-positive patients tended to show higher levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, as well as lower levels of platelet counts. Long-term follow-up revealed that TTV DNA-positive patients exhibited characteristic, multiple peaks of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. The histologic findings in the livers of TTV DNA-positive patients with CH consisted of moderate necro-inflammatory reactions. In conclusion, it is possible that the TTV genotype 1b infection caused liver injury.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi kamimachi, Itabashiku, 173-8610, Tokyo, Japan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sioda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arakawa