Molecular Diagnosis of TORCH Infection of Pregnant Women in Iraq

Abstract

Background: TORCH complex (Toxoplasma gondii, others, Rubella virus, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes simplex virus) infections in pregnant women may attribute to bad obstetric outcomes.
Objective: To investigate the role of TORCH as an etiology of bad obstetric outcome using a molecular technique.
Materials and Methods: The samples were collected from women with Bad Obstetric History attending clinics in Mosul and Baghdad hospitals in Iraq over a period from (15/4/2013) to (1/6/2014) and from (1/5/2017) to (1/11/2017). The women included in the study were with mean age of (26±6.1) years and a range of 22 to 39 years. Blood samples, throat and cervical swabs were collected from 300 women ELISA positive seroprevalence of TORCH for PCR testing.
Results: DNA and RNA were extracted and Real-Time PCR indicates negative results for T.gondii, Rubella and HSV I&II, but were CMV positive in only four samples represented (1.3%) from total 300 positive samples in ELISA tests.
Conclusion: ELISA test is considered as a preliminary and screening test for TORCH infections. Real Time PCR is an essential tool in the research laboratory. It has engendered wider acceptance than the conventional PCR due to its improved rapidity, sensitivity, reproducibility and the reduced risk of carry-over contamination