TORCH Infections By Benji - August 9th, 2012 The ToRCHeS are a group of infections that can be passed from the pregnant mother to her fetus through the placenta. They can infect anytime during gestation, and sometimes during the time of delivery as well. Since they can cause mental retardation, morbidity, and even death, they are important to recognize and prevent. So far in my pediatric rotation, I have seen a case of it, and so it is something we will see more as doctors. First off, ToRCHeS stands for: To = Toxoplasma R = Rubella C = Cytomegalovirus He = Herpes Simplex Virus S = Syphilis Althernatively, it could also be spelled as TORCH, in which the O stands for “other.” The “other” organisms that cause perinatal infections are Parvovirus B19, Varicella Zoster Virus, Syphilis, and HIV.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 19:46:41 +0000