Bacillus cereus and related species

Abstract

Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive aerobic or facultatively anaerobic spore-forming rod. It is a cause of food poisoning, which is frequently associated with the consumption of rice-based dishes. The organism produces an emetic or diarrheal syndrome induced by an emetic toxin and enterotoxin, respectively. Other toxins are produced during growth, including phospholipases, proteases, and hemolysins, one of which, cereolysin, is a thiol-activated hemolysin. These toxins may contribute to the pathogenicity of B. cereus in nongastrointestinal disease. B. cereus isolated from clinical material other than feces or vomitus was commonly dismissed as a contaminant, but increasingly it is being recognized as a species with pathogenic potential. It is now recognized as an infrequent cause of serious nongastrointestinal infection, particularly in drug addicts, the immunosuppressed, neonates, and postsurgical patients, especially when prosthetic implants such as ventricular shunts are inserted. Ocular infections are the commonest types of severe infection, including endophthalmitis, panophthalmitis, and keratitis, usually with the characteristic formation of corneal ring abscesses. Even with prompt surgical and antimicrobial agent treatment, enucleation of the eye and blindness are common sequelae. Septicemia, meningitis, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and surgical and traumatic wound infections are other manifestations of severe disease. B. cereus produces beta-lactamases, unlike Bacillus anthracis, and so is resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics; it is usually susceptible to treatment with clindamycin, vancomycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, and erythromycin. Simultaneous therapy via multiple routes may be required.

Selection and Characterization of Single Domain Antibodies Specific for Bacillus anthracis Spore Proteins

“…Bacillus anthracis is highly similar, morphologically, to other members of the Bacillus cereus group which complicates the development of highly specific assays for detection of pathogenic B. anthracis spores and vegetative cells [3]. Though discrimination of the closely related bacteria of the B. cereus group is possible with assays that utilize PCR [4][5][6], these techniques frequently require laboratory based equipment and skilled technicians.…”

Identification of contamination sources of Bacillus cereus in pasteurized milk

“…The cereulide is stable in the digestive tract and induces emesis (Shinagawa et al, 1994(Shinagawa et al, , 1996 septicaemia caused by B. cereus have al1 been described (Johnson, 1984;Turnbuil and Kramer, 199 1;Drobniewski, 1993). These infections by B. cereus are associated with a variety of extracellular membrane-active enzymes which indude phospholipase C, cereolysin and a heat stable cytolysin (Sliman et al, 1987;Beecher and Macmillan, 1991;Granum, et al, 1993).…”

“…Cases of B. lichenijonnis food poisoning present a ciinical picnire similar to the diarrhoeai syndrome caused by B. cereus. B-subtilis produces an acute-onset emetic syndrome (Krarner and Gilbert, 1989;Drobniewski, 1993). B. thuringiensis, B. popiiliae, B.…”

Catheter-related bloodstream infections: catheter management according to pathogen

“…Significant CVC infections caused by Bacillus spp. are mainly due to B. cereus and have mostly been reported in immunocompromised hosts [81].CVC infection with Bacillus spp. usually requires catheter removal for complete cure [82,83].…”