Torch testing

Torch background image
Torch background image
Torch background image

Congenital infections

When you are pregnant, your greatest priority is protecting your baby. Congenital infections are caused by several pathogens that can be transmitted from the mother to the baby. These infections cause little to no symptoms in healthy adults; however, they severely affect the unborn fetus or newborn baby. Therefore, screening for these pathogens can help reduce the risk of fetal death and potentially life-threatening adverse effects. 

Abbott offers reliable and accurate TORCH testing solutions that can differentiate and help identify congenital infections early. TORCH is an acronym for a group of infections that can be transmitted from the mother to the baby during pregnancy, during childbirth, or shortly after birth:  Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), and other infections such as syphilis.1

 For in vitro diagnostic use.

10-30%

of all stillbirths have infectious etiology2

~3%

of live births have congenital anomalies present2

Depending on the pathogen

Up to 50%

of pregnancies with congenital infections may result in loss of a baby or fetal death2

Torch testing: every baby deserves a healthy beginning

Healthcare providers are commonly challenged with unknown or potentially serious cases of prenatal infection.

Serological testing can help quickly confirm infection and substantially help reduce the risk of infection to the mother and a baby.

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Torch barriers

Reducing the burden of congenital infections can be accomplished by overcoming some basic challenges.

Early detection3

Early screening can play a role in the early identification of TORCH infections which may help reduce the risk of complications and life-threatening adverse effect to the baby.

Infection awareness

Knowing one’s infection status can help increase the probability for receiving early treatment and valuable education on safe practices to reduce the risk of exposure.

Testing guidelines

Many patients fail to be tested due to the absence of clear guidelines. Heightened global awareness among clinicians and the general population can accelerate early detection.

Torch panel value

Harness the power of Abbott's torch panel to streamline testing, elevate performance, and help increase the probability of confidently identifying congenital infections.

Confident results

  • Highly specific assays
  • High sensitivity for the early detection of infection
  • Easy interpretation of results
  • Full automation from primary tube to result minimizes the chance of human error
  • Ready-to- use calibrators and controls reduces the possibility of reconstitution errors

Optimized efficiency

  • Consolidation of TORCH assays on Alinity i and ARCHITECT
  • Streamlines testing – minimizes hands-on time
  • Quick results reduce turn-around times
  • Highly specific assays - avoid re-runs and confirmation testing
  • Wide array of sample types: serum and plasma
Abbott's assays

Toxo IgM | Toxo IgG | Toxo IgG Avidity | Rubella IgM | Rubella IgG | CMV IgM | CMV IgG | CMV IgG Avidity  

NOW AVAILABLE  HSV-1 IgG | HSV-2 IgG

 

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Supporting
Publications

Learn more about the performance of Abbott's TORCH assays from peer reviewed journals.

Check back for more resources.

PUBLICATIONDESCRIPTION
Evaluation of the Abbott's ARCHITECT Avidity assay in detecting latent infection in the presence of persistent IgM.
Study highlights the value of the Abbott's ARCHITECT for the analysis of all clinical situations concerning Toxoplasma gondii serology.
An Italian study published in the Journal of Clinical Virology highlights the performance of the ARCHITECT analyzer in comparison with other commercial methods.
A team of researchers from Belgium evaluates the ARCHITECT CMV immunoassays with several well-established comparator assays.
Researchers from Montreal, Quebec, Canada assessed chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays in mixed pediatric and women of childbearing age population.
A study published in Transfusion Medicine assessed the performance of CMIA and ELISA immunoassays under routine conditions in a transfusion laboratory.
Evaluation of CMV serology to determine the utility and validity of recommended CMV serologic diagnostic algorithms.

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 References
  1. TORCH. AACC: Lab Tests Online. https://labtestsonline.org/tests/torch. Updated September 22, 2020. Accessed March 3, 2021.

  2. Megli, Christina J, and Carolyn B Coyne. “Infections at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: An Overview of Pathogenesis and Defence.” Nature Reviews. Microbiology, Nature Publishing Group UK, 25 Aug. 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8386341/. 

  3. Wurcel, Victoria, et al. “The Value of Diagnostic Information in Personalised Healthcare: A Comprehensive Concept to Facilitate Bringing This Technology into Healthcare Systems.” Public Health Genomics, vol. 22, no. 1-2, 2019, pp. 8–15., https://doi.org/10.1159/000501832.