Seroprevalence of TORCH ınfections and hepatitis B serological status among pregnant women in southeastern Türkiye: a retrospective cross-sectional study

TORCH infections are among the major causes of congenital infections and adverse perinatal outcomes during pregnancy. Furthermore, the assessment of hepatitis B serostatus and bloodborne infections is a fundamental component of antenatal care. Given the limited regional seroprevalence data available in southeastern Turkey, this study presents data obtained from a large, single-center cohort; the study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of TORCH infections, the serological status of hepatitis B, and the prevalence of bloodborne infections among pregnant women, as well as to evaluate the association of these serological findings with selected demographic characteristics. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 2,300 pregnant women who presented during the first trimester. Serological results for rubella, Toxoplasma gondii, cytomegalovirus, syphilis, Anti-HBs, Anti-HCV, and Anti-HIV were evaluated. Seroprevalence rates were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. Associations between demographic variables and serological findings were examined using chi-square tests. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with serological results. Rubella IgG seropositivity was 92.3%, Toxoplasma gondii IgG seropositivity was 11.9%, and CMV IgG seropositivity was 99.9%. Accordingly, 88.1% of the pregnant women were found to be seronegative for Toxoplasma gondii. While anti-HBs seropositivity was determined to be 37.1%, anti-HBs levels were found to be below 10 mIU/mL—the serological threshold considered protective—in 62.9% of pregnant women. The seropositivity rates for anti-HCV and anti-HIV were 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively. Toxoplasma IgG seropositivity showed a significant association with age ( p < 0.001), and in multivariate analysis, age was found to be independently associated with seropositivity (OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.22–1.54). In contrast, increasing age was independently and inversely associated with Anti-HBs seropositivity (OR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.67–0.79). This study demonstrates that, due to the low prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity among pregnant women, there is a large susceptible population, and that Anti-HBs seropositivity is at a relatively low level. However, the extent to which Anti-HBs values detected below the reference threshold reflect clinical immunity cannot be determined with the current study design due to the unavailability of vaccination history. The findings should be interpreted in conjunction with further studies that include vaccination records and additional clinical variables. Not applicable.