NOTE Virology TT Virus Infection in Gibbons

TT virus (TTV) is not only an infectious agent of worldwide distribution but has also been demonstrated in various non-human primates in addition to humans. In the present study, we subjected the sera of 67 gibbons to PCR and nucleotide sequencing, with subsequent phylogenetic analysis to determine the nature of the relationship between TTV found in humans and non-human primates. We discovered the virus in 9/67 (13.4%) of the gibbon sera and subjected 6 of those to direct sequencing. The phylogenetic tree constructed encompassed all TTV species known to date, revealing a close proximity between the gibbon virus and those detected in Thai individuals, whereas the chimpanzee strains were phylogenetically more remote.