Effective December 12, 2022, Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL) is pleased to announce the consolidation of components of TORCH testing onto a single test system. This consolidation increases efficiency, optimizes handling of low volume specimens, and offers improved turnaround time and throughput.
As a result of this instrumentation change, providers will see changes in methodology, reference ranges, and reporting units used to describe Non-reactive (Negative), Borderline (Equivocal), and Reactive (Positive ) results. It is important to keep in mind that values determined on patient samples by different methodologies cannot be directly compared to one another.
The new method utilizes the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) methodology.
The tests in a TORCH panel are used to help diagnose infections that could cause harm to a baby during pregnancy.
The CPL TORCH Panels include testing for:
- Toxoplasmosis: This infection is caused by a parasite commonly picked up from cat stools. Fetuses may be affected in utero via transplacental infection to produce congenital toxoplasmosis. If untreated, it can cause blindness, deafness, seizures, and intellectual disability.
- Rubella: Also called German measles, this is a viral infection that can easily be passed from person to person through sneezing or coughing. Rubella is less common today because standard MMR vaccination offers protection against it, however, the virus may be passed to the fetus, which can cause miscarriage, premature birth, or congenital rubella syndrome.
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV): CMV is a type of herpes virus and is the most common congenital infection in babies. Mothers can get CMV by sexual contact or contact with bodily fluids, such as saliva from a person who has CMV. CMV can have long-term consequences in babies, including problems with vision, hearing, and mental development.
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV): Pregnant people can can acquire genital herpes simplex virus through sexual contact with an infected individual or through reactivation of latent virus. Virus can be passed to the developing fetus transplacentally or during delivery. Congenital HSV can cause low birth weight, miscarriage, and preterm birth. Perinatal infection may cause lesions that affect skin, eyes, and mouth, or in rare cases, can cause serious brain and organ damage.
Order Codes Affected:
| CMV IgG | 4544 |
NEGATIVE: <0.60 U/ML EQUIVOCAL: 0.60-0.69 U/ML POSITIVE: ≥0.70 U/ML |
NON-REACTIVE: <0.500 INDEX BORDERLINE: 0.500 - <1.000 INDEX REACTIVE: ≥1.000 INDEX |
| CMV IgM | 4546 |
NEGATIVE: <30.0 AU/ML EQUIVOCAL: 30.0-34.9 AU/ML POSITIVE: ≥35.0 AU/ML |
NON-REACTIVE: <0.700 INDEX BORDERLINE: ≥0.700 - <1.000 INDEX REACTIVE: ≥1.000 INDEX |
| HSV 1 IgG | 5340 |
NEGATIVE: ≤0.90 INDEX EQUIVOCAL: 0.91-1.09 INDEX POSITIVE: ≥1.10 INDEX |
NON-REACTIVE: <1.000 INDEX REACTIVE: ≥1.000 INDEX |
| HSV 2 IgG | 5342 |
NEGATIVE: ≤0.90 INDEX EQUIVOCAL: >0.90 AND <1.10 INDEX POSITIVE: ≥1.10 INDEX |
NON-REACTIVE: <1.000 INDEX REACTIVE: ≥1.00 INDEX |
| Rubella IgM | 4602 |
NEGATIVE: <20.0 AU/ML EQUIVOCAL: 20.0-24.9 AU/ML POSITIVE: ≥25.0 AU/ML |
NON-REACTIVE: <0.800 INDEX BORDERLINE: ≥0.800 - <1.000 INDEX REACTIVE: ≥1.000 INDEX |
| MMR Profile | 152 | Panels. See individual Order Codes above for reporting changes. | |
| Torch Antibodies IgG | 155 | ||
| MMR and Varicella Panel | 164 | ||
| Obstetric Panel | 514 | ||
| Obstetric Panel + HIV | 518 | ||
| Obstetric Panel + HIV | 519 | ||
| Torch Antibodies IgG and IgM | 4612 | ||
| Rubella IgG and IgM | 4613 | ||
| Torch Antibodies IgM | 5644 | ||
| Cytomegalovirus IgG/IgM Panel | 4543 | ||
| Rubella IgG and IgM | 4613 | ||
| Herpes Simplex 1/2 IgG | 4592 | ||
| Herpes Simplex Virus IgG And IgM | 4647 | ||
| Name | Order Code | Current Reporting | New Reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
Please note: Toxoplasma IgG (4659), Toxoplasma IgM (4658), and Rubella IgG (4600) already performed on Roche cobas e801 instrumentation