“It is important to emphasise that it is unusual for these infections to be transmitted from mother to child. They account for a very small proportion of all cases of autism in the population, but for those children who are actually affected, we see a clearly elevated risk of both autism and intellectual disability.”

Reddit (Karolinska Institute news) · Sep 20 · Rare womb infections linked to autism, intellectual disability in Swedish study

“These pathogens have the unusual ability to cross the placenta and directly infect the developing fetus, including the brain.”

MedPage Today · Sep 21 · Rare womb infections linked to autism, intellectual disability in Swedish study

“With TORCH infections, however, the association remained when the research team compared siblings. That provides much stronger evidence that the infection itself can contribute to autism and intellectual disability.”

MedPage Today · Sep 21 · Rare womb infections linked to autism, intellectual disability in Swedish study