RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Torque teno virus (TTV) is a ubiquitous virus that is commonly associated with blood transfusion. The main aims of this study were to evaluate the incidence of TTV in polytransfused children with thalassemia and to determine for the first time the prevalent TTV genotypes in Egypt. METHODS: TTV was detected in 2 groups by nested PCR: the first group comprised 200 children with thalassemia, and the second included age- and sex-matched healthy children with no history of blood transfusion. RESULTS: TTV was detected in 60 and 57%, respectively, of the children with thalassemia and the healthy children. Among the TTV-positive children with thalassemia, 71.6% were HCV positive. No hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in the thalassemic children. Significant elevations of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were found in TTV-positive patients with thalassemia compared to TTV-negative patients. Phylogenetic analysis of sequenced TTV isolates showed close relationships to genotypes 1 and 2. CONCLUSION: TTV is highly prevalent among children with thalassemia in Egypt, with a relatively high infection rate also detected among healthy children.