Transfusion-transmitted virus infection in renal transplant recipients in eastern Taiwan

Objective: Many studies have reported the prevalence of transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) infection in hemodialysis patients but only a few reports have studied the prevalence of TTV infection in renal transplant recipients and none from Taiwan. In this study, we have determined the prevalence of TTV in renal transplant recipients and related its prevalence to history of blood transfusion, serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) and serum aminotransferase (AST and ALT) levels in eastern Taiwan. Patients and Methods: Serum samples from 23 renal transplant recipients and a control group of 43 subjects at health examination were studied for TTV viremia using polymerase chain reaction. Results: The proportion of blood transfusions (p<0.0001) and HCV infection (p=0.048) were significantly higher in renal transplant recipients. Renal transplant recipients had higher mean levels of serum AST (p=0.013) and ALT (p=0.019) than the control group. The prevalence rate of TTV viremia was not significantly different between renal transplant recipients and the control group (34.8% vs 37.2%). TTV infection was not associated with evident liver disease in renal transplant recipients. There was no statistically significant association between TTV infection and age, gender, transfusion history, duration of transplantation, AST level, ALT level, HBsAg or anti-HCV status in renal transplant recipients. Conclusions: These results suggest that TTV infection is not associated with evident liver disease, and the prevalence rate is not different between healthy individuals and renal transplant recipients.