Epidemiology of SEN virus infection among patients with hepatitis B and C in China

China is highly endemic for viral hepatitis. In the present study, we investigated the clinical significance and molecular analysis of SEN virus (SEN-V) infection in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C in YanBian city, China. Serum samples were obtained from 71 patients with hepatitis B and C who visited YanBian hospital in the north-east of China. Detection of SEN-V DNA was performed by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primer pairs in the 5′-untranslated region. SEN-V DNA was present in 14/23 (63.9%), 12/15 (80.0%), 5/7 (71.4%), 13/18 (72.2%), 7/8 (87.5%), 1/1 (100%) of the patients with type B (B)-chronic hepatitis (CH), B-liver cirrhosis (LC), B-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), type C (C)-CH, C-LC, C-HCC, respectively. The highest prevalence of SEN-V DNA was seen in the various age groups over 40 years old. There was no significant correlation of clinical parameters between SEN-V DNA-positive and -negative patients with type B and C liver diseases. The YanBian isolates showed 71.4–95.0% homology to isolates reported previously. In conclusion, the prevalence of SEN-V infection in YanBian City was high but SEN-V coinfection did not seem to modify the serological features of chronic hepatitis B and C in China.