The prevalence of transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) infection has not been known in patients suffering from pediatric malignancies and hematological disorders who receive blood transfusion and/or blood products during treatment. Blood samples were taken from 75 patients. TTV infection was identified when TTV DNA was detected in serum by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA were also assayed by PCR. TTV DNA was detected in 38 of 75 patients (51%). In 4 of 38 patients, the amount of blood transfused was less than 3 units. By time since last transfusion, TTV DNA was detected in 12 of 35 patients after more than 4 years, 12 of 21 between 1 and 4 years, and 14 of 19 within 1 year. Six patients had mixed infection of TTV and HCV, and 12 patients had mixed infection of TTV and HGV. Three different kinds of virus were found simultaneously in serum from 3 patients. Eight out of 75 patients showed abnormal levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (>40 IU/liter), and 3 of them had TTV DNA. All patients who had TTV DNA and elevated ALT levels also were positive for HCV RNA and HGV RNA. The prevalence of TTV infection is high in patients with pediatric malignancies and hematological disorders after episodes of blood transfusion. Transfusion is one of the most important risk factors for TTV infection regardless of the amount of blood transfused.
We report a neonate-boy with pulmonary infiltrates and peripheral blood eosinophilia. He was noted to have abnormal pulmonary infiltrates on a chest X-ray film taken on day 8 after birth when he had vomiting. He had not such symptoms as cough or dyspnea. In routine laboratory studies, eosinophilia was noted. Radiographic changes were transient and disappeared by day 25. Eosinophilia was also transient and gradually returned to normal level by 2 months. Löffler syndrome is very rare in neonates and its diagnosis is often made fortuitously likely in this case.
The prevalence of transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) infection has not been known in patients suffering from pediatric malignancies and hematological disorders who receive blood transfusion and/or blood products during treatment. Blood samples were taken from 75 patients. TTV infection was identified when TTV DNA was detected in serum by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA were also assayed by PCR. TTV DNA was detected in 38 of 75 patients (51%). In 4 of 38 patients, the amount of blood transfused was less than 3 units.
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