Bacillus cereus

A review of Bacillus cereus.


Bacillus: Cellular and Molecular Biology Edited by: Peter Graumann
Published: 2007   ISBN: 978-1-904455-12-7
Price: GB £150 or US $300
An overview of the most recent and most exciting research providing a picture of the major cytological aspects of this model bacterium. Includes replication and segregation of the chromosome, cell division, replication and growth, the cell cycle, transcription, translation, regulation, the actin cyctoskeleton, the cell membrane and cell wall, biofilm formation and sporulation, DNA repair, the regulation of transcription through RNA molecules, and the regulation of protein activity through proteolysis. read more ...
Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology Edited by: Pina M. Fratamico, Arun K. Bhunia, and James L. Smith
Published: 2005   ISBN: 978-1-904455-00-4
Price: GB £149 or US $299
Written by leaders in the field, this book represents a cutting edge summary of all the latest advances, providing the first coherent picture of the current status. Opening chapters tackle topics such as pathogen detection (molecular, biosensor), molecular typing, viable but non-culturable organisms, predictive modeling, and stress responses. The next section covers groups of organisms: enteric viruses, protozoan parasites, and mycotoxins. This is followed by chapters on specific bacteria: Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter Infections, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Escherichia coli, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus. The final chapters provide a fascinating review of the ability of pathogens to contaminate a food supply and provide an overview of emerging foodborne pathogens. read more ...
Probiotics and Prebiotics: Scientific Aspects Edited by: Gerald W. Tannock
Published: 2005   ISBN: 978-1-904455-01-1
Price: GB £99 or US $199
Food scientists and nutritionists have accepted, relatively uncritically, the concepts underlying the use of probiotics and prebiotics in the promotion of health. Microbiologists and medical practitioners have viewed these products more sceptically. Much more scientific and medical validation of probiotic or prebiotic use is required. This will entail the use of sophisticated analytical methodologies. Knowledge of the gut microbiota has increased dramatically during the past decade thanks largely to the results obtained from the application of nucleic acid-based methodologies. Because of the availability of improved technologies, detailed studies of the two principal kinds of probiotic or prebiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, can be made. Emerging leaders have contributed chapters to this book that therefore represents a state of the art compendium of fundamental science related to early 21st century probiotic or prebiotic research. read more ...

Bacillus cereus

Recommended reading:   Bacillus: Cellular and Molecular Biology       click here  Download flyer

Adapted from Per Einar Granum in Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Bacillus cereus: The Bacillus cereus group comprises six members: Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus pseudomycoides, Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus weihenstephanensis. These species are closely related and should be placed within one species, except for Bacillus anthracis that possesses specific large virulence plasmids. Bacillus cereus is a normal soil inhabitant and is frequently isolated from a variety of foods, including vegetables, dairy products and meat. It causes an emetic or a diarrhoeal type of food-associated illness that is becoming increasingly important in the industrialized world. Some patients may experience both types of illness simultaneously. The diarrhoeal type of illness is most prevalent in the western hemisphere, whereas the emetic type is most prevalent in Japan. Desserts, meat dishes, and dairy products are the foods most frequently associated with diarrhoeal illness, whereas rice and pasta are the most common vehicles of emetic illness. The emetic toxin (cereulide) has been isolated and characterized; it is a small ring peptide synthesised non-ribosomally by a peptide synthetase. Three types of Bacillus cereus enterotoxins involved in foodborne outbreaks have been identified. Two of these enterotoxins are three-component proteins and are related, while the last is a one-component protein (CytK). Deaths have been recorded both by strains that produce the emetic toxin and by a strain producing only CytK. Some strains of the Bacillus cereus group are able to grow at refrigeration temperatures. These variants raise concern about the safety of cooked, refrigerated foods with an extended shelf life. Bacillus cereus spores adhere to many surfaces and survive normal washing and disinfection (except for hypochlorite and UVC) procedures. Bacillus cereus foodborne illness is likely underreported because of its relatively mild symptoms, which are of short duration. However, consumer interest in precooked chilled food products with a long shelf life may lead to products well suited for Bacillus cereus survival and growth. The availability of such foods could increase the prominence of Bacillus cereus as a foodborne pathogen.


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