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Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development in organisms during their life span. It is a sub-discipline in medical genetics which focuses on the classification of congenital abnormalities in dysmorphology caused by teratogens and also in pharmacology and toxicology.
Teratogens are substances that may cause birth defects via a toxic effect on an embryo or foetus. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Teratogens . See also the categories Carcinogens and Mutagens
Teratogens affect the fetus by various mechanism including: Interfering with cell proliferation rate, such as viral infection and ionization; Altered biosynthetic pathways, as seen in chromosomal defects; Abnormal cellular or tissue interactions, as seen in diabetes; Extrinsic factors; Threshold interaction of genes with environmental teratogens
During pregnancy, a woman can also be exposed to teratogens from contaminated clothing or toxins within the seminal fluid of a partner. [ 38 ] [ 30 ] [ 39 ] An additional study found that of 200 individuals referred for genetic counseling for a teratogenic exposure, 52% were exposed to more than one potential teratogen.
Thalidomide is a known human teratogen and carries an extremely high risk of severe, life-threatening birth defects if administered or taken during pregnancy. [6] It causes skeletal deformities such as amelia (absence of legs and/or arms), absence of bones, and phocomelia (malformation of the limbs).
However, depending on the type of toxicant and amount of exposure, a fetus can be exposed to toxicants at any time during pregnancy, but have different effects. For example, exposure to a particular toxicant at one time in the pregnancy may result in organ damage and at another time in the pregnancy could cause death of the fetus and miscarriage.
A diagnosis is made clinically based upon identification of characteristic symptoms in an affected infant in conjunction with a history of phenytoin exposure during gestation. It is important to note that the majority of infants born to women who take phenytoin during pregnancy will not develop fetal hydantoin syndrome.
A vertically transmitted infection is an infection caused by pathogenic bacteria or viruses that use mother-to-child transmission, that is, transmission directly from the mother to an embryo, fetus, or baby during pregnancy or childbirth. It can occur when the mother has a pre-existing disease or becomes infected during pregnancy. Nutritional ...