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TTV - a virus searching for a disease.
1Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. ycossart@infdis.usyd.edu.au
Summary
Transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) is a newly identified virus found in blood donors worldwide. Its exact classification and role in disease remain under investigation.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Hepatology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) was identified in patients with non-A-G post-transfusion hepatitis.
- Previous research aimed to explain a small number of hepatitis cases not attributed to known hepatitis viruses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize published clinical and epidemiological data on TTV.
- To assess the properties, natural history, and taxonomic classification of TTV.
Main Methods:
- Initial identification used representational difference analysis to detect foreign DNA in acute illness.
- Subsequent studies employed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect TTV in serum, liver, and fecal samples.
- This review synthesizes data from international clinical and epidemiological studies.
Main Results:
- TTV has been detected in 1-40% of healthy blood donors across various countries.
- The virus is also present in fecal samples, indicating a potential route of transmission.
- Current data suggests TTV is ubiquitous in the human population.
Conclusions:
- The taxonomic classification of TTV within the parvovirus family is premature due to unknown size, light density, and lack of characteristic sequence features.
- The prevalence of TTV in blood donors and its presence in feces highlight its widespread nature.
- Further research is required to definitively determine TTV's taxonomic identity and its etiological role in human disease.