TORCH infections in Zhengzhou, China: Epidemiological trends before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background: A significant body of research indicates that TORCH infections pose severe health risks to women of childbearing age, fetuses, and newborns. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to extensive public health measures, significantly impacting the transmission of various infectious diseases. Methods: We performed descriptive analysis on the data and used chi-square tests to compare infection rates across different sexes, age groups, and seasons. Additionally, a multivariable logistic regression model was employed, with infection status as the dependent variable and sex, age group, and time period as independent variables. The model estimated the independent effects of each factor on TORCH infection rates. Results: A total of 35589 samples for HSV-1, 51098 for HSV-2, 49001 for CMV, 38115 for RV, and 39550 for TOX were analyzed. Descriptive analysis indicated no significant differences in most TORCH infections between sexes, except for TOX IgM, where the infection rate was 0.6% in males and 0.8% in females, approaching significant difference (P = 0.05). Age group analysis showed significant differences in HSV-1 IgM infection rates (P = 0.02). Infection rates for all sexes and age groups were significantly higher before the pandemic than after. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that females had significantly higher risks of HSV2-IgM (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.01-1.41) and TOX-IgM (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.04-1.55) infections compared to males. The risk of infection for the 45 years and above age group was not significantly different from the middle-aged group for all antibodies. The pre-pandemic period was associated with substantially elevated infection risks across all antibodies, with odds ratios ranging from 1.79 (95% CI: 1.39-2.33) for TOX to 26.54 (95% CI: 17.4-42.7) for HSV-2 (P < 0.001). Conclusion: TORCH infection rates showed minimal variation by sex and age, with exceptions for TOX and HSV-1. Infection rates declined substantially after the COVID-19 pandemic, with spring and summer identified as high-incidence seasons. These findings underscore the effectiveness of public health interventions and inform targeted prevention strategies. Keywords: TORCH infection; Toxoplasma gondii; Rubella virus; Cytomegalovirus; Herpes simplex virus; COVID-19