Objective: To establish the EIA method for detection of antibody to TT virus (anti-TTV) and to investigate the distribution of anti-TTV in patients with hepatitis and in healthy people.
Methods: The ELISA method using the recombinant expressed product of truncated gene of TTV ORF1 as antigen was developed and was applied to detect anti-TTV in patients with hepatitis and in healthy control. The TTV DNA were detected by nested-PCR.
Results: The positive rates of anti-TTV antibodies in different populations were as follows: 1.3% in healthy people, 10.5% in patients with hepatitis A, 12.5% in patients with hepatitis B, 8.3% in patients with hepatitis C, 7.7% in patients with hepatitis D, 12.0% in patients with hepatitis E, 6.5% in patients with hepatitis G, 32.3% in patients with hepatitis non-A to G. The positive rate of TTV DNA was significantly related to that of anti-TTV (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The anti-TTV antibodies were detected positive in patients with hepatitis and healthy people, however, its positive rate in patients with hepatitis non-A to G was significantly higher than that in other groups. The fact that anti-TTV antibodies coexist with TTV DNA suggests that the antibody to TTV ORF1 antigen may be an infectious marker of TTV similar to that of anti-HCV.