AIM: To explore the relationship between retinal exudative changes in neonates and perinatal toxoplasmosis, others, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus(TORCH)infections, as well as the characteristics of TORCH infection in neonates with retinal exudative changes.

METHODS: Retrospective study. A total of 612 neonates with retinal exudative changes detected during ophthalmic screening in our hospital from May 2019 to March 2023 were selected. TORCH tests were performed on these neonates, and the results were subjected to statistical analysis to determine the infection characteristics. The neonates with retinal exudative changes were grouped by sex and age, the characteristics of TORCH infection were analyzed, and the positive rates were compared.

RESULTS: Among the 612 neonates with retinal exudative changes, the highest positive rate was observed for cytomegalovirus(CMV-IgG)(96.7%), followed by rubella virus(RV-IgG)(73.9%). Mixed infections with two or three viruses were also observed, with the highest positive rate for mixed infection of RV-IgG and CMV-IgG reaching 71.2%. There was no statistically significant difference in TORCH infection among neonates of different sex(P>0.05). However, there were statistically significant differences in RV-IgG and CMV-IgM infections with retinal exudative changes among neonates of different age groups(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Perinatal TORCH infection may be an important factor causing retinal exudative changes in neonates. The differences in various infections are not related to sex but are related to different age groups.