ToRCH & Childhood Diseases

ToRCH

ToRCH is an acronym for a group of infections that can cause significant birth defects and fetal death. Meridian Life Science offers a range of reagents which are suitable for multiple assay formats, including IgM and IgG antibody detection, rapid anti-IgM assays, and Immunofluorescence assays (IFA).

A ToRCH test measures antibodies against five groups of chronic infections: • Toxoplasmosis • Rubella • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) • Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1/2) • Other infections (usually syphilis, hepatitis B, coxsackie virus, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster virus, and human parvovirus) These infectious diseases are all associated with congenital abnormalities resulting from maternal infection. Although the organisms typically cause only asymptomatic or mild infection to the mother, they can have much more serious consequences to the fetus. If the infection occurs during the first three months of pregnancy and if it is a primary infection (newly acquired during pregnancy), the risk of congenital abnormalities is much higher compared to a secondary or reactivated infection. CMV, which is the most common cause of congenital infectious disease, also has a much higher rate of transmission from mothers with a primary infection (10%) compared to a reactivation (1%). An important part of prenatal care is to recognize these infections in the mother and the fetus and provide suitable care.

Although these organisms typically cause only asymptomatic or mild infection in the mother, they can have serious consequences to the fetus.