Tissue tropism of the TTV in experimentally infected rhesus monkeys.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) is hepatotropic.


METHODS
Total DNA was extracted from various tissues of 5 experimentally infected Rhesus monkeys during the viremic period. A dot hybridization was done with viral double stranded DNA probes or single antisense probes.


RESULTS
The double-stranded probe was hybridized with DNA from the liver, bone marrow, spleen,stomach, small intestine and colon. The single-stranded antisense probe was hybridized with DNA from the liver, small intestine and bone marrow of all 5 monkeys, but not with that from other tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
As the viral genome was of negative polarity, the plus-stranded fragment identified in our study might be a replicative intermediate, and was only demonstrated in the liver, small intestine, and bone marrow by dot blot hybridization with single-stranded antisense probes. It is suggested that the TTV replicates in the liver, bone marrow and small intestine, and TTV might be hepatotropic.
Xiao
Hong
H
Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou 510515, China. doctorxiao@163.net
Luo
Kangxian
K
Yang
Shouchang
S
Wang
Yanjun
Y
Liang
Weifang
W
D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000821:virology; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000821:virology; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D022783:Torque teno virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral