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Fecal excretion of a nonenveloped DNA virus (TTV) associated with posttransfusion non‐A‐G hepatitis
Author(s) -
Okamoto Hiroaki,
Akahane Yoshihiro,
Ukita Masato,
Fukuda Masako,
Tsuda Fumio,
Miyakawa Yuzo,
Mayumi Makoto
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199810)56:2<128::aid-jmv5>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - feces , virology , virus , dna virus , biology , titer , excretion , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , genome , gene , biochemistry
Five patients with type B or C hepatocellular carcinoma were found to be infected with a nonenveloped DNA virus (TTV) associated with posttransfusion hepatitis of non‐A–G etiology. Paired feces and serum samples from these patients were tested for TTV DNA by polymerase chain reaction with seminested primers and their sequences were compared. TTV DNA was detected in sera from all of the patients, while it was detected in feces from three patients, including two with high viral titers in serum. When feces and serum from one patient were subjected to floatation ultracentrifugation in CsCl, TTV in feces banded at a peak density of 1.35 g/cm 3 and that in serum at 1.31–1.32 g/cm 3 . TTV isolates in three pairs of feces and serum had the identical sequence of 222 base pairs. The excretion of TTV into feces indicates that TTV would be transmitted not only parenterally but also nonparenterally by a fecal–oral route. J. Med. Virol. 56:128–132, 1998 . © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.