Expert consensus on standardized TORCH laboratory detection and clinical application / 中华检验医学杂志

ABSTRACT

TORCH, which is considered as a series of pathogens, including the Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella virus, Cytomegalovirus or Herpes simplex virus, often infects the pregnant women to induce the the fetus or newborn infection by transplacental infection or exposure to contaminated genital tract secretions at delivery. Increasing evidence have been confirmed that the infection of TORCH may cause the miscarriage, premature birth, malformed fetus, stillbirth, intrauterine growth retardation, neonatal multiple organ dysfunction and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. For most TORCH-infections cases may lacking the effective treatments during pregnancy, and it is important to achieve the effacing monitoring of TORCH infections before and during pregnancy. The laboratory testing of TORCH has the great significance. However, the consensus opinions still need to improve the the standardization of TORCH testing process and the correct interpretation. Based on the characteristics of the TORCH detection method, this article gives a consensus opinion on the standardized detection and clinical application of TORCH from the laboratory perspective according to the characteristics and types of infection of different pathogens.