Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia and transfusion-transmitted virus infection

A 17-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of severe acute hepatitis. Serologic studies were negative for A, B, C and G hepatitis viruses. Later, he was found to be positive for transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) DNA. He was discharged after normalization of liver function tests. Four months after the onset of hepatitis, he was re-admitted because of pancytopenia. Bone marrow findings were consistent with aplastic anemia. The anemia responded to steroid therapy. In this case, TTV was probably involved in the development of aplastic anemia.