Characterization of the Toxigenic Potential of Bacillus cereus sensu lato Isolated from Raw Berries and Their Products

Abstract

Bacillus cereus is estimated to be responsible for 1.4–12% of all food poisoning outbreaks worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate the toxigenic potential of 181 isolates of B. cereus previously recovered from different types of berries and berry products (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) by assessing the presence of enterotoxin genes (hblA, hblC, hblD, nheA, nheB, nheC, and cytK) and an emetic toxin cereulide synthetase gene (ces). The cytotoxic activity on Caco-2 cells was also evaluated for the two isolates containing the gene cytK. Twenty-three toxigenic profiles were found. The nheABC (91.7%) and hblACD (89.0%) complexes were the most prevalent among the isolates, while the cytK and ces genes were detected in low percentages, 1.1% and 3.3%, respectively. In addition, the nheABC/hblACD complex and ces genes were detected in isolates recovered throughout the production process of blackberries and strawberries. The cytotoxic activity on Caco-2 cells was also observed to be greater than 60% for isolates containing the cytK gene.

Investigating the Role of OrbF in Biofilm Biosynthesis and Regulation of Biofilm-Associated Genes in Bacillus cereus BC1

“…According to estimates from the World Health Organization in 2021, approximately 600 million people worldwide suffer from foodborne diseases each year, resulting in around 420,000 deaths. B. cereus is implicated in 1.4% to 12% of all global food poisoning incidents [ 2 ]. A study conducted by the State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China revealed that about 27% of samples from pasteurized milk, even after undergoing pasteurization, were contaminated with B. cereus [ 3 ].…”