Eur. J. Epidemiol. 0392-2990 May 1993, p. 341-343 EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY Vol. 9, No. 3 BRIEF REPORTS SEROPREVALENCE TO SOME TORCH AGENTS IN A SICILIAN FEMALE POPULATION OF FERTILE AGE F. CONDORELLI', G. SCALIA, A. STIVALA, M.C. COSTANZO, A.D. ADRAGNA, C. FRANCESCHINO, M.G. SANTAGATI, P.M. FURNERI, A. MARINO and A. CASTRO Institute of Microbiology- Virology Unit- Universi(y of Catania - Via Androne, 81 1-95124 Catania, Italy. Key words: TORCH - Seroprevalence - Antibody - Fertile age - Women The seroprevalence to Toxoplasma gondii (41.t%), rubella virus (88.20/o), cytomegalovirus (86.0%), and herpes simplex virus (80.0%) has been evaluated in fertile women living in Catania (Sicily). The population group studied was divided into four age groups to quantify the risk of primary infection in each age group. Several human infections that, in adults, are usually harmless, asymptomatic or associated to mild non-specific manifestations, may cause serious diseases among infants infected during acute primary maternal infections. While Toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, and cytomegalovirus are capable of causing congenital infections, herpes simplex type 1 or 2 and cytomegalovirus may be either congenital or acquired, often resulting from the transmission of the virus from the mother to the infant during delivery. Congenital toxoplasmosis, a coccidian infection, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, can result in stillbirth, mental retardation, blindess and, occasionally, in the death of congenitally infected infants. The frequency of congenital infections after symptomatic rubella during pregnancy was determined to be more than 80% during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and decreased to 25% at the end of the second three-month term (9). In Europe, the incidence rate of congenital rubella syndrome decreased during 1980-86 either because of vaccination campaigns in different countries or Corresponding author. because of the practice of immunity screening in women during pregnancy (5). On the other hand, congenital cytomegalovirus infections can be acquired both by primary and reactivated maternal infections and the incidence rate is defined to be around 1% of all live births (1, 10). Maternal cytomegalovirus and hepers simplex virus infections may determine perinatal diseases because both viruses persist in a latent form and periodically produce recurrent disease upon reactivation. Perinatal infection can be acquired from the exposure to virus in the maternal genital tract as the newborn passess through the infected birth canal. Data from epidemiological studies indicate severe morbidity and mortality associated to neonatal herpes virus infection. There is no programme, apart for rubella infection, to combat congenital and perinatal diseases caused by the above-mentioned microorganisms and it could be useful to know the immune status of the female population. In the present study the prevalence of immunity to some teratogenic infectious agents in Eastern Sicily is reported. In this respect, serum samples from a group of Sicilian women were collected to determine the prevalence of specific antibodies to Toxoplasma 241