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Microbiology
Published in Michael McGhee, A Guide to Laboratory Investigations, 2019
Food poisoning is also commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, which produce an exotoxin. Occasionally, Clostridium perfringens and, rarely, Clostridium botulinum may be the causative organisms.
Bacillus
Published in Dongyou Liu, Handbook of Foodborne Diseases, 2018
As a foodborne pathogen involved in emetic and diarrheal diseases in humans, Bacillus cereus has the ability to adapt to acidic pH and changing oxygen conditions and to maintain structural and genetic integrity. Other Bacillus spp. (e.g., B. circulans, B. licheniformis, B. popilliae, B. pumilus, and B. subtilis) may also be implicated in human food poisoning. There is an obvious need to develop improved control measures against these food poisoning agents.
An Overview of Microbes Pathogenic for Humans
Published in Nancy Khardori, Bench to Bedside, 2018
Eric Lehrer, James Radike, Nancy Khardori
Members of the Bacillus genus are notable for their ability to produce spores and their morphological appearance of chains under microscopy. Bacillus anthracis is the bacterium responsible for anthrax, which because of its air borne transmissibility has been used as an agent of bioterrorism. Anthrax can be transmitted by contact, via inhalation, and via the gastrointestinal tract. The cutaneous form of the disease tends to be the least severe; however, all 3 forms are capable of causing systemic disease and death. Bacillus cereus is known to be a cause of food poisoning due to the ingestion of preformed spores, which are able to survive in the harshest of environments. A common manifestation of B. cereus food poisoning is after the ingestion of reheated rice.
Infantile orbital abscess: clinical presentation, microbiological profile, and management outcomes
Published in Orbit, 2022
Andrea Tongbram, Shahid Alam, Sumita Agarkar, Bipasha Mukherjee
The aspirate after abscess drainage in patients #8 and #9 was subjected to both microbiology and histopathology examination. In patient #8, the culture results initially reported Bacillus cereus as the causative organism, but histopathological examination suggested fungus as the organism. Repeat culture showed Entomophthorales fungi as the causative organism and Bacillus was reported as a contaminant. Bacillus cereus has been reported to be a frequent contaminant, and a single positive culture should not be considered diagnostic.23 Fungal infections of the orbit usually arise from the paranasal sinuses. Yet, our patient did not have any sinus involvement. Entomophthorales, primarily a pathogen of sinuses and the respiratory tract, spreads locally in the subcutaneous plane. Patients typically present with facial swelling.23 Orbital infection is described as an “atypical form” of this disease and is associated with poor prognosis. Diagnosis can be challenging as KOH stains are usually negative and cultures may show positivity only in 50% of cases.24–26 Diagnosis is based on a combination of microbiological as well as histopathological evidence of fungal infection. Histopathology in these cases shows granulomatous inflammation with the typical “Splendore Hoeppli phenomenon.”27 All these features were seen in our patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is only the second case of Rhinoentomophthoramycosis reported in an infant. In the previous case report, the lesion resolved completely with oral potassium iodide.28
Bacillus cereus biofilm formation on central venous catheters of hospitalised cardiac patients
Published in Biofouling, 2019
Samman Ikram, Adam Heikal, Sarah Finke, Antje Hofgaard, Yasir Rehman, Anjum Nasim Sabri, Ole Andreas Økstad
In clinical settings, development of biofilms can promote infection by the persistence of bacteria on medical devices, thereby acting as reservoirs for disease (Bridier et al. 2012). Bacillus cereus is a Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium, which is ubiquitous in natural environments and a notorious contaminant of fomites as well as food. Biofilm-forming strains of B. cereus have been reported as causing nosocomial bacteraemia following catheter-related infections (Kuroki et al. 2009), and have the potential to cause catheter related blood stream infections (CRBSIs) even in immunocompetent patients (Hernaiz et al. 2003). Known to produce a variety of toxins, B. cereus also has the ability to cause two forms of food poisoning, as well as severe conditions such as septicaemia, central nervous system infection and endocarditis in immunocompromised individuals (Drobniewski 1993; Bottone 2010; Lede et al. 2011). The capability of B. cereus to act as a pathogen is largely attributable to the synergistic effects of several virulence factors that cause tissue degradation and resistance to the immune system of the host (Visiello et al. 2016). Among the secreted virulence factors are several haemolysins, three phospholipases (including PI-PLC and PC-PLC), an emesis-inducing toxin (emetic toxin), and three pore-forming enterotoxins; haemolysin BL (HBL), non-haemolytic enterotoxin (NHE) and cytotoxin K (reviewed by Kotiranta et al. (2000), Schoeni and Wong (2005), Gohar et al. (2008), Stenfors Arnesen et al. (2008), Bottone (2010), and Ehling-Schulz et al. (2015)). Many key genes involved in B. cereus group biofilm formation and biofilm regulatory networks have also recently been elucidated (Pflughoeft et al. 2011; Fagerlund et al. 2014; Fagerlund et al. 2016; Yan et al. 2017; Okshevsky et al. 2018).
The Sporobiota of the Human Gut
Published in Gut Microbes, 2021
Muireann Egan, Eugene Dempsey, C. Anthony Ryan, R. Paul Ross, Catherine Stanton
Similar to the Clostridia described above, Bacillus species have been associated with both positive and negative health effects. Bacillus intestinalis is a spore-former isolated from a patient with intestinal cancer.69Bacillus cereus is associated with gut disorders such as diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.70B. cereus is also a food-borne pathogen, in which the ability to form spores allows them to survive gastric transit to reach the GIT.71 Members of Bacillus spp. particularly, B. cereus, Bacillus weihenstephanensis, Bacillus anthracis, and Bacillus thuringiensis species are known to produce various toxins and are associated with food-borne intoxications.72 On the other hand, Bacillus subtilis has been shown to promote the development of gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). Interestingly, the authors found that this effect was sporulation-dependent, as spo0A mutants were incapable of promoting GALT development. It was suggested that sporulation allows the B. subtilis cells to survive in the gut long enough to promote GALT development.73 In murine models, B. subtilis was found to ameliorate the effects of a DSS-induced ulcerative colitis.74Bacillus coagulens has long been used as a probiotic with the ability to suppress the growth of pathogens, stimulate the growth of beneficial bifidobacteria and have immune-modulating effects.75,76 Similarly, in an M-SHIME intestinal model, a probiotic mixture of five spore-forming Bacillus strains was found to increase numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, as well as butyrate-producing bacteria.77 Indeed, the ability to form endospores is considered an advantage for Bacillus probiotics, as it allows them to survive gastric acidity and reach the intestine.78