Background: To study etiology of clinically diagnosed non A-E hepatitis.
Methods: HBV, TTV, human parvovirus B19, SENV DNA were detected by nested polymerase chain reactions (nPCR), while HGV, HCV RNA were tested by reverse transcription nested polymerase chain reactions (RT-nPCR).
Results: Of 60 patients with clinically diagnosed non A-E hepatitis, 30 (50.0%) were HBV DNA positive alone, 10 (16.7%) HBV and TTV DNA positive, 6 (10.0%) HBV and B19 DNA positive; 1 (1.7%) HBV, SENV DNA and HCV RNA positive, 1 (1.7%) HCV RNA positive alone, 1 (1.7%) HCV RNA and B19 DNA positive, 2 (3.3%) B19 DNA positive alone, 1 (1.7%) TTV DNA positive alone, and the remaining 8 (13.3%) negative for all viruses. All the 60 patients were HGV RNA negative. There were no differences in serum biochemical markers of hepatitis B patients with or without TTV or B19 virus infection.
Conclusions: HBV is a major etiologic agent for the clinically diagnosed non A-E hepatitis. HGV, TTV, B19 and SEBV may not be associated with nonA-E hepatitis.