Detection of TT virus DNA and sequence analysis of TTV gene in sera from young children in Nanjing

Objective To investigate the prevalence of TTV genomes in young children from Nanjing and establish the PCR method for detecting TTV DNA. Methods A hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was established to detect TTV DNA in 110 young children and two PCR-amplified products were sequenced and the data were analyzed with the computer programs. Results TTV DNA was detected in 14 out of 110 children,and 222 bp sequences of 2 isolates from the children were analyzed. Compared with representative of published isolates, they have the nudeotide identity of 93.7%6 - 98.6 % with TX011. Conclusions The infection rate of TTV in children is 12.73 %, and 2 isolates from children belong to subgroup G1b. Our results indicates that TTV could be transmitted via other pathway besides hematogenous one, and TTV could be carried by healthy population.