To investigate the prevalence of Torque Teno virus (TTV) in patients with acute and chronic liver disease, present at a tertiary care hospital in north India. The present study was conducted on 135 patients over a period of one and half year. Detailed clinical history was elicited such as fever, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, high coloured urine, weight loss, any past H/O jaundice, alcohol intake , blood transfusion and H/O pregnancy. MELD (Model for End Stage Liver Disease) scoring was done to evaluate the extent of liver damage.DNA extraction was done from patient’s sera by chloroform-ethanol technique. Nested PCR was performed using predesigned primers (by fermentas) . TTV DNA bands were seen on agarose gel electrophoresis. 20 cases (15%) were positive for the TTV DNA. Of which 12 had acute viral hepatitis(AVH),while 6 had chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) and 2 of them had Cirrhosis. Mean levels were AST 49.5 IU/L, ALT 65.75 IU/L , ALP 40.38 KAU, Total Bilirubin 6.95 mg%, and INR 2.32 respectively. The mean of MELD Score was 18.30 ranging from 9 to 36. MELD Score above 20 were found in 6 patients of acute liver disease, and 2 patients of chronic liver disease. TTV prevalence in liver disease is significant though the real clinical impact is still unclear.
TTV Virus, Liver disease, Prevalence, Clinical
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