TT virus DNA among hemodialysis patients in Alexandria

ABSTRACT

Since TTV was discovered a few years ago, it was a target for many studies; however, there is still a poor understanding of its mechanism of transmission and pathogenic potential. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the presence of TTV among hemodialysis patients. One hundred and twenty eight serum samples obtained from patients undergoing hemodialysis were tested for the presence of TTV DNA using PCR technique, and the levels of liver enzymes were also determined. TTV DNA was detected in 83 [64.8%] out of the 128 hemodialysis patients. There was significant positive statistical relation between the presence of TTV DNA and history of blood transfusion. However, there was no significant effect of the duration of dialysis or the levels of liver enzymes on the presence of TTV DNA. This significant high rate of isolation highlights the need to further investigations and the development of sensitive and simple detection methods to understand the epidemiology and natural history of TTV infection