Prevalence of transfusion transmitted virus (TTV) genotypes among HCC patients in Qaluobia governorate.
BACKGROUND
Transfusion Transmitted virus (TTV) is a novel single-stranded DNA virus that was identified in patients with post-transfusion hepatitis of non-A-G type. Clinical significance of TTV infection was analyzed in Egyptian hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. The present study attempted to clarify these issues in Egypt, particularly in Qaluobia governorate, a country known for its high endemicity of liver disease and hepatotropic viruses.


METHODS
TTV are determined in the serum of 60 samples obtained from HCC and liver cirrhosis (LC) patients and 30 healthy individuals. TTV DNA is amplified by nested-PCR with TTV-specific mixed primers derived from the conserved open reading frame 1 (ORF1) region followed by digestion with restriction enzyme. Using the enzymes HaeIII, DraI, EcoRI and PstI, we are able to distinguish between the four TTV genotypes.


RESULTS
The positive rate of TTV detection was 46.7%, 40% and 36.7% among HCC, LC patients and healthy individuals respectively. The more prevalence genotype was detected in the positive serum samples was genotype 1 (35.7%) in HCC patients, (50%) in LC and (63.3%) in healthy individuals, Genotype 5 (21.4%), (25.5%) and (18.2%) in HCC, LC and healthy individuals respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that TTV is commonly present in adult patients with HCC and LC as well as healthy individuals. The most prevalence TTV genotype is genotype 1. It seems that the infection neither contribute to the severity of liver disease no to the causation of HCC.
Virology and Immunology Unit, Cancer Biology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, 1st Kasr El-Aini st, Cairo, Egypt. Mohhafez@nci.edu.eg
Mohamed M
MM
Hafez
Sabry M
SM
Shaarawy
Amr A
AA
Hassan
Rabab F
RF
Salim
Fatma M
FM
Abd El Salam
Amal E
AE
Ali
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000821:virology*; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D022783:Torque teno virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D004279:DNA, Viral