Abstract

Sero-Prevalence of TORCH Infections in Pregnant Women with Bad Obstetric History

Introduction: Primary Infection with TORCH Complex (Toxoplasma, Rubella, Cytomegalo virus, and Herpes Simplex Virus I and II) in pregnant women can lead to an adverse outcomes like low birth weight congenital anomalies, sensory neural deafness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and sometimes to fatal outcomes like abortion and stillbirth which are initially unapparent or asymptomatic and thus difficult to diagnose on clinical ground. Aim: To screen pregnant women with bad obstetric history for TORCH infection to minimize chances of congenital malformation in neonates. Material and Methods: Over one year total of 130 serum samples were collected from antenatal women having bad obstetric history attending tertiary health centres. Samples were screened for IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma, Rubella, Cytomegalo Virus (CMV) by Immuno Comb (EIA) and ELISA Test. Results: It was found that Toxoplasma is the most predominant infection being positive in 20 (15.4%) of the cases followed by 15 (11.5%) for Cytomegalovirus, 8 (6.2%) for Rubella, and 7(5.4%) for Herpes simplex Virus I and II. Conclusion: This study showed that most infections occurred at a young age before or during the first pregnancy. Hence all antenatal cases with bad obstetric history should be routinely screened for TORCH as early diagnosis and appropriate intervention will help in the proper management of the cases.

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