TORCHS

TORCH or TORCHS testing includes a panel of tests for detecting presence of infections in pregnant women. This test becomes important as the infections tested for under this category are the ones which bear the risk of passive transmission and hence early detection becomes a need to prevent complications in the newborns.

Tests under TORCH are generally recommended based on symptoms experienced during pregnancy. These include:

• Low platelet count
• Seizure
• Jaundice
• Adverse heart issues
• Deafness

TORCH is an acronym and involves testing for the following infections;

T – Toxoplasmosis

O – Others – HIV, Hepatitis, Varicella (Chicken pox), Parvovirus

R – Rubella (German Measles)

C – Cytomegalovirus

H – Herpes Simplex Virus

S – Syphilis

The CDC 2010 guidelines recommends pregnant women to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) on the first prenatal visit as per the “Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines”.

TORCH tests for both IgM and IgG antibodies against infectious agents to ascertain as well as differentiate past as well as active infection.