Weak association between SEN virus viremia and liver disease.
Recently, a novel DNA virus designated SEN virus (SEN-V), which is thought to be related to posttransfusion hepatitis, was discovered. The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between SEN-V infection and the development of liver disease. We examined SEN-V from the sera of 21 patients with non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 13 patients with non-B, non-C chronic liver disease (CLD) without HCC who were admitted to our hospital between 1995 and 1997. Thirty-two patients without liver disease served as controls and were also examined for SEN-V. SEN-V DNA was detected by the nested PCR method after extraction of DNA from serum. SEN-V DNA was detected in 74% (25 of 34) of patients with CLD with or without HCC who were negative for both hepatitis B virus surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C virus antibody. SEN-V DNA was detected in 69% (9 of 13) of CLD patients without HCC and in 76% (16 of 21) of HCC patients. The prevalence of SEN-V was no higher in patients with liver disease than in patients without liver disease (24 of 32; 75%). There were no significant differences in age, sex, liver function, history of blood transfusion, or amount of alcohol intake between SEN-V-positive and SEN-V-negative CLD and HCC patients. Genetic analysis suggested that SEN-V is closely related to the TT virus family. SEN-V was detected at almost the same frequency in patients with and without liver disease. SEN-V does not seem to contribute either to the pathogenesis of liver disease or to the development of HCC from chronic liver disease.
Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. ch2h-ysd@asahi-net.or.jp
Hideo
H
Yoshida
Naoya
N
Kato
Yasushi
Y
Shiratori
Runxuan
R
Shao
Yue
Y
Wang
Shuichiro
S
Shiina
Masao
M
Omata
D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D004267:DNA Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014766:Viremia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology
D004279:DNA, Viral