title: New DNA viruses identified in patients with acute viral infection syndrome.
abstract: A sequence-independent PCR amplification method was used to identify viral nucleic acids in the plasma samples of 25 individuals presenting with symptoms of acute viral infection following high-risk behavior for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmission. GB virus C/hepatitis G virus was identified in three individuals and hepatitis B virus in one individual. Three previously undescribed DNA viruses were also detected, a parvovirus and two viruses related to TT virus (TTV). Nucleic acids in human plasma that were distantly related to bacterial sequences or with no detectable similarities to known sequences were also found. Nearly complete viral genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirmed the presence of a new parvovirus distinct from known human and animal parvoviruses and of two related TTV-like viruses highly divergent from both the TTV and TTV-like minivirus groups. The detection of two previously undescribed viral species in a small group of individuals presenting acute viral syndrome with unknown etiology indicates that a rich yield of new human viruses may be readily identifiable using simple methods of sequence-independent nucleic acid amplification and limited sequencing.
authors.affiliation: Blood Systems Research Institute, 270 Masonic Ave., San Francisco, California 94118, USA.
authors.forename: Morris S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.forename: Vladimir V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Lukashov
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simmonds
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delwart
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001483:Base Sequence; D018173:Circoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D017931:DNA Primers; D004267:DNA Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013577:Syndrome; D022783:Torque teno virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers