Detection of Torque Teno virus in IRAQI hemodialysis patients

Abstract

Some data suggest that the liver is being affected by a new set of variables, and one of them is the Torque Teno virus, which is widespread in the liver other than the well-known hepatitis A-E viruses. Dialysis patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and those who are not HCV infected were compared to healthy persons using the nested PCR method to evaluate the extent of the viral dissemination in the Iraqi dialysis population and how it affects infection severity. The research began in 2021 until the end of 2022. Blood was drawn from 35 HCV-infected dialysis patients, 35 HCV-uninfected dialysis patients, and 20 healthy individuals. Immunological (ELISA), chemical and hematological testing findings were reported. In this study, molecular detection by nested PCR was performed to identify the Torque Teno virus. PCR identifies the Torque Teno virus in hemodialysis patient blood samples. The infection rate was 0% in healthy persons, 14.29% in dialysis patients without HCV (5 out of 13), and 20% in dialysis patients with HCV (7 out of 13). This research found a greater prevalence of the Torque Teno virus in HCV patients than in dialysis patients without HCV infection, and the detection of TTV by PCR technique was 100% for sensitivity specificity. This research demonstrated non-significant differences between Torque Teno virus infection and liver enzymes in hemodialysis patients. Keywords: Torque Teno virus, hemodialysis, Anelloviridae