Trimoulet P, de Lédinghen V, Ekouevi D, Bernard P H, Merel P, Chêne G, Couzigou P, Fleury H
Laboratoire de Virologie, Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Bordeaux, France.
Am J Gastroenterol. 2000 Jul;95(7):1765-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2000.02138.x.
The pathogenic role of TT virus (TTV) is not well known, especially during chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We retrospectively investigated the presence of TTV DNA in the plasma of patients with chronic HCV infection and compared the characteristics of TTV-DNA-positive and -negative groups.
Between November 1996 and November 1998, 234 patients were included. Inclusion criteria were persistently elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, anti-HCV and HCV-RNA positivity, and seronegativity for hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus markers. TTV DNA was amplified in nested polymerase chain reaction with TTV-specific primers, and products were analyzed by agarose-gel electrophoresis. Data were analyzed using the chi2, Fisher's exact test, or Mann-Whitney test, as appropriate.
TTV DNA was detected in 19 (8.1%; 95% confidence interval: 4.6-11.6%) patients. TTV-DNA-positive and TTV-DNA-negative patients did not differ statistically for age, gender ratio, source of HCV infection, HCV disease duration, biological parameters, histological grade, HCV-RNA load, or HCV genotype. Although nonsignificant (p = 0.21), there was a trend for a higher prevalence of TTV DNA in patients with an unknown cause of HCV infection (4/22, 18.2%) than in intravenous drug users (4/84; 4.8%), in those exposed to potential risk factors (4/49; 8.2%), or in those having received blood transfusion (7/79; 8.9%).
Because the rates of HCV replication and the severity of liver lesions in TTV-DNA-negative and -positive patients were similar, the hepatic pathogenicity of TTV in chronic hepatitis C patients is questionable.
TT病毒（TTV）的致病作用尚不明确，尤其是在慢性丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染过程中。我们回顾性研究了慢性HCV感染患者血浆中TTV DNA的存在情况，并比较了TTV-DNA阳性和阴性组的特征。
1996年11月至1998年11月期间，纳入了234例患者。纳入标准为血清丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）水平持续升高、抗-HCV和HCV-RNA阳性，以及乙肝病毒和人类免疫缺陷病毒标志物血清学阴性。使用TTV特异性引物通过巢式聚合酶链反应扩增TTV DNA，并通过琼脂糖凝胶电泳分析产物。根据情况使用卡方检验、Fisher精确检验或Mann-Whitney检验分析数据。
在19例（8.1%；95%置信区间：4.6-11.6%）患者中检测到TTV DNA。TTV-DNA阳性和阴性患者在年龄、性别比例、HCV感染来源、HCV病程、生物学参数、组织学分级、HCV-RNA载量或HCV基因型方面无统计学差异。虽然无统计学意义（p = 0.21），但HCV感染原因不明的患者（4/22，18.2%）中TTV DNA的患病率有高于静脉吸毒者（4/84；4.8%）、暴露于潜在危险因素的患者（4/49；8.2%）或接受输血的患者（7/79；8.9%）的趋势。
由于TTV-DNA阴性和阳性患者的HCV复制率和肝损伤严重程度相似，TTV在慢性丙型肝炎患者中的肝致病性值得怀疑。
