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Effect of interferon on a nonenveloped DNA virus (TT Virus) associated with acute and chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology

An unenveloped DNA virus named TT virus (TTV) has been reported in association with acute and chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology. The effect of interferon on TTV was evaluated in the patients with chronic hepatitis C who were coinfected with TTV. TTV DNA was determined by a polymerase chain reaction with heminested primers in the 96 patients with chronic hepatitis C who received interferon‐α (516 million units in 26 weeks) and followed for 24 months thereafter. TTV DNA was detected in 31 (32%) patients before therapy. TTV DNA became undetectable during interferon therapy and remained absent in 14 (45% of the 31 patients) through 24 months thereafter. The four patients with pretreatment TTV DNA titer ≥103/ml did not respond. These results indicate that TTV is sensitive to interferon, and the response would be inversely correlated with pretreatment viral titers. J. Med. Virol. 58:196–200, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.