title: Molecular characterization of Torque teno virus and SEN virus co-infection with HIV in patients from Southern Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Torque teno virus (TTV) and SEN virus are circular single-stranded DNA viruses that cause blood-borne infections. The SEN virus (SEN-V) was originally detected in the serum of an injection drug user infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Recently TTV was discovered as a potential causative agent of non-A-E hepatitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the SEN-V-D/H and TTV in HIV patients and healthy blood donors in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and fifty HIV patients with a mean age of 50.46 ± 18.46 years and 150 healthy blood donors with a mean age of 48.16 ± 13.73 years were included in this study. TTV and SEN-V were detected by the PCR and were quantitatively assayed by competitive PCR (nested and semi-nested PCR). Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were used to determine the heterogeneity of TTV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TTV and SEN-V were detected 96 (64%) and 84 (56%) of 150 HIV patients respectively. These rates were 34% (n=51) and 37.33% (n=56) in healthy blood donors (significant, p<0.05). PCR detected SEN-V/TTV DNA from 32 of the healthy blood donors (21.33%), while 65 (43.33%) of HIV patients were positive for SEN-V/TTV DNA. Of 150 HIV patients, 32.66% and 23.33% were positive for SEN-V-H and SEN-V-D, respectively and 18.66% (n=28) were co-infected with SEN-V-D/H.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of SEN-VD/H and TTV is higher in HIV patients than in healthy blood donors in Southern Iran. Our results suggest that TTV and SEN-V might play a role in the development of liver disease in patients with immunodeficiency diseases.
authors: Cellular and Molecular Gerash Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors: Aliyar
authors: A
authors: Pirouzi
authors: Cellular and Molecular Gerash Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors: Mirzakhalil
authors: M
authors: Bahmani
authors: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Mohammad Mehdi
authors: MM
authors: Feizabadi
authors: Cellular and Molecular Gerash Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors: Rouhi
authors: R
authors: Afkari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D060085:Coinfection / Q000821:virology; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D022783:Torque teno virus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral