Microbiology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties 'G. D'Alessandro', University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Unit of Microbiology and Virology, University Hospital 'P. Giaccone', Palermo, Italy.
J Med Microbiol. 2023 Jul;72(7). doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.001733.
Serological screening and seroprevalence data for TORCH infections represent a key instrument to estimate immunity and vaccination levels and exposure rates to prevent and treat TORCH congenital infections. Serology allows us to identify women susceptible to primary infection. Assess the prevalence of women at risk of primary infections by TORCH pathogens in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, in the decade 2012-2022. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the serological status (IgG and/or IgM) of 2359 women of childbearing age (WCBA), ranging from 16 to 46 years, attending the AOUP 'P. Giaccone' University Hospital of Palermo. The results showed an overall prevalence of anti-TORCH IgG of 90.5 % for herpesvirus (HSV), 81.2 % for rubella virus (RV), 72.1 % for cytomegalovirus (CMV), 20.9 % for (TOX) and 4.8 % for (TP). IgM positivity was 16.9 % for HSV2, 10.3 % for TOX, 4 % for CMV and, 2 % for RV. A recent/active infection by TP was confirmed in 28.3 % of the seropositive women. Our results indicate that only a small percentage of WCBA were subjected to a comprehensive TORCH serological screening, while most WCBA were only tested for a single pathogen. In addition, no significant differences were found in terms of the overall TORCH IgG seroprevalence among different age groups (>0.05). Identifying WCBA at risk of exposure during pregnancy allows us to prevent and reduce possible congenital infections, providing detailed guidelines and instructions. The results of this study showed that in Italy the risk of acquiring a primary infection by a TORCH agent is still high, therefore effective prevention strategies, including serological screening, should be implemented.
对 TORCH 感染的血清学筛查和血清流行率数据代表了一种估计免疫力和疫苗接种水平以及暴露率的关键手段，有助于预防和治疗 TORCH 先天性感染。血清学检测可以帮助我们识别易发生原发性感染的女性。评估意大利西西里岛巴勒莫地区 2012 年至 2022 年十年间有原发性感染风险的女性 TORCH 病原体感染的流行率。进行了一项回顾性研究，评估了在巴勒莫 AOUP 'P. Giaccone' 大学医院就诊的 2359 名育龄妇女（WCBA）的血清学状况（IgG 和/或 IgM），年龄在 16 至 46 岁之间。结果显示，疱疹病毒（HSV）、风疹病毒（RV）、巨细胞病毒（CMV）、弓形虫（TOX）和梅毒螺旋体（TP）的抗 TORCH IgG 总体流行率分别为 90.5%、81.2%、72.1%、20.9%和 4.8%。HSV2 的 IgM 阳性率为 16.9%，TOX 为 10.3%，CMV 为 4%，RV 为 2%。28.3%的血清阳性妇女证实近期/活动性感染了 TP。我们的结果表明，只有一小部分 WCBA 接受了全面的 TORCH 血清学筛查，而大多数 WCBA 仅接受了单一病原体的检测。此外，不同年龄组之间的总 TORCH IgG 血清流行率没有显著差异（>0.05）。识别有妊娠暴露风险的 WCBA 可以预防和减少可能的先天性感染，提供详细的指南和说明。这项研究的结果表明，在意大利，TORCH 病原体原发性感染的风险仍然很高，因此应实施有效的预防策略，包括血清学筛查。
