Many strains have a hyaluronic acid capsule that is antiphagocytic. Group B Streptococci (Streptococcus agalactiae) are bacitracin resistant. Group D include Enterococci (Streptococcus faecalis) and Non-enterococci (Streptococcus bovis).
The first warning refers to the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the leading known cause of mental retardation in the United States. The good news is that this condition is 100 percent preventable as long as a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant.
In general, the central nervous and skeletal systems are the most affected. Women may encounter a number of teratogens. Smoking is most likely to cause growth retardation, but has also been implicated in the prelabor rupture of the membranes, preterm labor, abruption of the placenta, spontaneous abortion, perinatal morbidity and mortality, and sudden infant death syndrome.