SEN virus genotype H distribution in β-thalassemic patients and in healthy donors in Iraq: Molecular and physiological study

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 14; no. 6; p. e0007880
• Main Authors: Al-Ouqaili, Mushtak T. S., Majeed, Yasin H., Al-Ani, Sahar K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 01.06.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Ascorbic acid; Bilirubin; Biology and life sciences; Biomarkers; Blood; Blood & organ donations; Blood donors; Blood transfusion; Blood transfusions; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA sequence; DNA sequences; DNA sequencing; DNA-directed RNA polymerase; Gene sequencing; Genes; Genotypes; Glutathione; Glutathione peroxidase; Hemoglobin; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Infections; Levels; Liver; Medicine and Health Sciences; Nucleic acids; Nucleotide sequence; Patients; PCR; Peroxidase; Physical sciences; Plasma; Polymerase chain reaction; Research and Analysis Methods; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Serum; Studies; Thalassemia; Transfusion; Tropical diseases; Viral infections; Viruses; Vitamin E; Vitamins; γ-Glutamyltransferase; Italy; Iraq; United States > US; Ramadi Iraq; China
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007880

The SEN virus (SENV) has been linked to transfusion-associated non-A-E hepatitis; however, information regarding SENV infections in patients with thalassemia, particularly in those with hepatitis virus co-infections, remains limited. This study investigated the frequency of SENV (genotypes D and H) infections in Iraqi patients with thalassemic patients infected and not infected with hepatitis C virus. The study involved 150 β-thalassemia patients (75 with HCV infections and 75 without) and 75 healthy blood donors. Patient levels of vitamins C and E, liver function markers, and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were determined. Recovered viral nucleic acids were amplified using the conventional polymerase chain reaction (SENV DNA) or the real-time polymerase chain reaction (HCV RNA) techniques. Only 10% of healthy donors had evidence of SENV infection. Among patients with thalassemia, 80% and 77% of patients with and without concurrent HCV infections, respectively, had SENV infections. DNA sequencing analyses were performed on blood samples obtained from 29 patients. Patients with thalassemia, particularly those with SENV infections, had higher levels of several enzymatic liver function markers and total serum bilirubin (P < 0.05) than did healthy blood donors. Among the examined liver function markers, only gamma-glutamyl transferase demonstrated significantly higher levels in HCV-negative patients infected with SENV-H than in those infected with SENV-D (P = 0.01). There were significantly lower vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione peroxidase levels in patients than in healthy donors (P < 0.05), but only glutathione peroxidase levels were significantly lower in HCV-negative thalassemia patients infected with SENV than in those without SENV infections (P = 0.04). The SENV-H genotype sequences were similar to the global standard genes in GenBank. These results broaden our understanding the nature of the SENV-H genotype and the differential role of SENV-H infections, compared to SENV-D infections, in patients with thalassemia, in Iraq.