Prevalence of serum antibodies to TORCH infection in the first trimester of the pregnancy in Kashan, Iran

Background: TORCH infections are caused by Toxoplasma gondii and other microorganisms such as Treponema pallidum, the Rubella virus (RV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Type I and II during the first trimester of pregnancy. They might lead to severe fetal anomalies or even fetal loss. The current study aimed to determine the serological data of TORCH infections in women in their first trimester of pregnancy. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 80 pregnant women who were in their first trimester in Kashan, Iran. To detect the specific IgM and IgG antibodies against the TORCH infections, sera were collected from these women by ELISA. Results: The specific IgG antibodies were found to be positive for toxoplasmosis in 30 cases (37.5%), for the Rubella virus in 74 (92.5%), for CMV in 79 (98.8%) and for the HSV Type I and II in 73 cases (91.3%). Moreover, 3.8% of the cases were found to be seropositive for Toxoplasma IgM antibody (95% CI, 0.38-7.9), 5% were positive for CMV IgM antibody (95% CI, 0.23-9.77) and 7.5% were positive for the HSV IgM antibody (95% CI, 1.8-13.2). Finally, it was observed that 63.8% of the pregnant women were at the risk of at least one of the TORCH agents. Conclusion: This study was indicative of a high prevalence of infections caused by TORCH agents among pregnant women. Therefore, national screening programs are crucial to a routine TORCH screen as well as to preventing and treating congenital TORCH infections.