title: Association of torque teno virus (TTV) and torque teno mini virus (TTMV) with liver disease among patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus.
abstract: Torque teno virus (TTV) and torque teno mini virus (TTMV) have been potentially related to liver diseases. The aim of the study was to quantify TTV and TTMV in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients to study the relationship between the TTV and TTMV viral loads and the severity of liver disease. We carried out a cross-sectional study in 245 patients coinfected with HIV and HCV (HIV/HCV-group), 114 patients monoinfected with HIV (HIV-group), and 100 healthy blood donors (Control-group). Plasma samples were tested for TTV and TTMV by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The prevalences of TTV and TTMV infections in the HIV/HCV-group and the HIV-group were significantly higher than the Control-group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, TTV and TTMV coinfections were found in 92.2 % (226/245) in the HIV/HCV-group, 84.2 % (96/114) in the HIV-group, and 63 % (63/100 %) in the Control-group (p ≤ 0.05). HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with HIV viral load ≥50 copies/mL and patients with severe activity grade had the highest viral loads of TTV and TTMV (p ≤ 0.05). HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with high TTV load (>2.78 log copies/μL) had increased odds of having advanced fibrosis or severe necroinflammatory activity grade in the liver biopsy. Moreover, HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with high TTMV load (>1.88 log copies/μL) had decreased odds of having no/minimal fibrosis and no/mild activity grade, and increased odds of having a high fibrosis progression rate. In conclusion, TTV and TTMV might play a role in the development of liver disease in immunodeficiency patients, such as the patients coinfected with HIV and HCV.
authors.affiliation: HIV and Hepatitis co-infection Unit, National Centre of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García-Álvarez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berenguer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guzmán-Fulgencio
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cosín
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miralles
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Catalán
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: J Ma
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Micheloud
authors.forename: Ma A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Fernández
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Resino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010949:Plasma / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D022783:Torque teno virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019562:Viral Load