Finding. A large-scale registry study in Sweden covering 3.7 million people found that rare TORCH infections passed from a pregnant woman to the fetus are associated with a markedly higher risk of autism and intellectual disability later in the child’s life.
What TORCH means. The acronym refers to a group of infections that can pass from mother to baby during pregnancy, including toxoplasmosis, other infections, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes. Researchers reported that children exposed to these infections had a significantly elevated risk of an autism or intellectual disability diagnosis.
Scale. Because the study was conducted using Sweden’s national health registries, it stands out as one of the largest studies in this field in terms of sample size.
The study was conducted in Sweden, covered 3.7 million people, and linked TORCH infections to autism/intellectual disability risk: ScienceDaily, September 23, 2026.
The exact magnitude of the risk increase, the statistical method used (relative risk vs. odds ratio), and the years covered by the study are not clearly stated in the ScienceDaily summary; these details require verification against the original article.
The journal, title and authors under which the study was published are not included in the ScienceDaily summary.