TORCH complex (also known as STORCH, TORCHES or the TORCH infections) is a medical acronym for a set of perinatal infections (i.e. infections that are passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus). The TORCH infections can lead to severe fetal anomalies or even fetal loss. They are a group of viral, bacterial, and protozoan infections that gain access to the fetal bloodstream transplacentally via the chorionic villi. Hematogenous transmission may occur at any time during gestation or occasionally at the time of delivery via maternal-to-fetal transfusion.
Read more about TORCH Complex: Conditions, Features, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention, Prognosis, Additional Images
Famous quotes containing the words torch and/or complex:
“Thou Fair-haired Angel of the Evening,
Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!”
—William Blake (17571827)
“Specialization is a feature of every complex organization, be it social or natural, a school system, garden, book, or mammalian body.”
—Catharine R. Stimpson (b. 1936)