TORCH: Current state of knowledge as of 2025

The acronym TORCH designates a group of pathogens that can lead to serious pregnancy complications, such as miscarriage, fetal growth restriction, and congenital infections. This review summarizes current insights into these infections, offering practical guidance primarily for obstetricians, infectious disease specialists, and general practitioners involved in prenatal care. The TORCH complex includes Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella virus, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Herpes simplex virus (HSV). The definition may be extended to encompass additional (other) pathogens such as Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV), Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Treponema pallidum (syphilis), Parvovirus B19, and Zika virus. Screening practices for TORCH infections during pregnancy vary significantly across countries. Despite widespread access to medical care and increasing awareness among women planning pregnancy, routine screening for TORCH pathogens is not universally implemented. In Poland, diagnostic procedures during pregnancy are defined by the Standard of Perinatal Care established by the Ministry of Health. This regulation- which replaced earlier recommendations of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians- does not distinguish between ,,mandatory" and ,,recommended" tests but specifies a unified set of investigations to be performed at defined stages of pregnancy. Screening conducted during pregnancy plays a crucial role in detecting previously unrecognized infections. In Poland , a substantial proportion of new diagnoses of HIV, HBV and HCV among young women are made during routine antenatal testing, underscoring the importance of standardized serological screening in prenatal care rather than relying on diagnosis before conception. However, due to their distinct epidemiological and clinical profiles, HIV, HBV, and HCV infections are not discussed in detail in this review.