Insufficient evidence of TT-viral etiology of post hepatitis aplastic anemia

Post-hepatitis aplastic anemia is a rather rare pathologic condition of as yet unclear etiology especially as hepatitis viruses A to G have been excluded as the potential agents responsible. The novel TT virus, a single-stranded DNA virus first isolated from the serum of a patient with post-transfusion hepatitis in Japan might cause this condition. Therefore, our group subjected the sera of two children with post-hepatitis aplastic anemia to semi-nested PCR using primers specific for detection of TTV DNA. Although TTV DNA was not detectable in either sample it might be speculated that, like hepatitis viruses A to G, TTV could be found associated with this condition whereas it certainly does not constitute its sole etiologic agent.