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TORCH Infections

Christine Gamble, MD and Batare Okivie, MD, MS, BSA Reviewed 05/2023
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • An acronym describing a group of infections acquired prenatally, perinatally, or postnatally due to contact with body fluid (blood, vaginal secretions, or breast milk). They result i...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Toxoplasmosis: Acute infection of mother is usually asymptomatic.

  • Syphilis: painless papule at the site of inoculation followed by regional lymphadenopathy

  • Rubella and CMV: maternal his...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Nutritional and respiratory support

  • Phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia

MEDICATION

First Line

  • Toxoplasmosis: pyrimethamine (1 mg/kg/day PO daily for 6 months and then Monday, Wed...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

  • Continue to follow neurologic and developmental status.

  • Toxoplasmosis: Follow up every 2 weeks until stable and then monthly while being treated;...

REFERENCES

1
Neu  N, Duchon  J, Zachariah  P. TORCH infections. Clin Perinatol.  2015;42(1):77–103. [View Abstract on OvidMedline]
2
Chiopris G, Veronese ...

CODES

ICD10

  • P00.2 Newborn affected by maternal infection/parasitic diseases

  • P37.1 Congenital toxoplasmosis

  • P35.1 Congenital cytomegalovirus infection

  • P35.2 Congenital herpesviral [herpes simplex] infectio...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Ensuring patients receive adequate pre-, peri-, and postnatal care is paramount for prevention of TORCH infections.

  • TORCH infections may present similarly; targeted diagnostic workups a...

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