Abstract
News of yet another transfusion-transmissible virus has disturbing implications. Although at this stage the findings may still be no more than the hissing of geese on the Capitoline Hill, in their paper published today Peter Simmonds and his colleagues in Scotland confirm the global distribution of the TT virus (TTV), which was discovered in Japan over a year ago. 1 Nishizawa T Okamoto H Konishi K et al. A novel DNA virus (TTV) associated with elevated transaminase levels in posttransfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology. Biochem Biophys Res Comm. 1997; 241: 92-97 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1084) Google Scholar Makoto Mayumi and his group have already found that the virus genome consists of single-stranded, linear DNA and they suggest that TTV may be a parvovirus. 2 Okamoto H Nishizawa T Kato N et al. Molecular cloning and characterisation of a novel DNA virus (TTV) associated with posttransfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology. Hepatol Res. 1998; 10: 1-16 Crossref Google Scholar The lack of an outer envelope is consistent with this idea, but the buoyant density is considerably lighter, and the genome significantly larger, than expected for a parvovirus, and no sequence homology is evident with known members of the group. Detection of a novel DNA virus (TT virus) in blood donors and blood productsTTV viraemia is frequent in the blood-donor population, and transmission of TTV through transfusion of blood components may have occurred extensively. Clinical assessment of infected donors and recipients of blood and blood products, and assessment of TTV's aetiological role in hepatic and extra-hepatic disease, are urgently needed. Full-Text PDF Presence of a newly described human DNA virus (TTV) in patients with liver diseaseThe high prevalence of active TTV infection in the general population, both in the UK and in Japan, and the lack of significant liver damage, suggest that TTV, similar to hepatitis G virus (HGV), may be an example of a human virus with no clear disease association. Full-Text PDF
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