Bacillus and relatives in foodborne illness

Abstract

Summary Species of Bacillus and related genera have long been troublesome to food producers on account of their resistant endospores. These organisms have undergone huge taxonomic changes in the last 30 years, with numbers of genera and species now standing at 56 and over 545, respectively. Despite this expansion, relatively few new species have been isolated from infections, few are associated with food and no important new agents of foodborne illness have been reported. What has changed is our knowledge of the established agents. Bacillus cereus is well known as a cause of food poisoning, and much more is now understood about its toxins and their involvement in infections and intoxications. Also, although B. licheniformis, B. subtilis and B. pumilus have occasionally been isolated from cases of food‐associated illness, their roles were usually uncertain. Much more is now known about the toxins that strains of these species may produce, so that their significances in such episodes are clearer; however, it is still unclear why such cases are so rarely reported. Another important development is the use of aerobic endosporeformers as probiotics, as the potentials of such organisms to cause illness or to be sources of antibiotic resistance need to be borne in mind.

Effects of Actin-Like Proteins Encoded by Two Bacillus pumilus Phages on Unstable Lysogeny, Revealed by Genomic Analysis

“…B. pumilus strain, such as MB 2 and MB 4 , isolated from Egypt, can cause leaf blight of mango trees (12), and another B. pumilus strain was found to be a pathogen of Asian pear tree leaf and twig dieback (13). B. pumilus also causes some human disease (10), such as acting as a bloodstream pathogen during infancy (11). B. pumilus strain GR8 isolated from Shandong Province of China was identified as an opportunistic pathogen of the ginger rhizome rot disease (14) and causes serious losses of ginger production in Shandong Province.…”

“…However, numerous B. pumilus strains have also been reported to cause several human and plant diseases (10,11). B. pumilus strain, such as MB 2 and MB 4 , isolated from Egypt, can cause leaf blight of mango trees (12), and another B. pumilus strain was found to be a pathogen of Asian pear tree leaf and twig dieback (13).…”

Use of Raman Spectroscopy and Phase-Contrast Microscopy To Characterize Cold Atmospheric Plasma Inactivation of Individual Bacterial Spores

“…Spores produced by some Bacillus species are a major cause of food spoilage and foodborne illness, as well as a number of other serious human diseases (9,10). These spores can remain dormant for many years and are extremely resistant to a variety of environmental stresses, including antibiotics, heat, desiccation, radiation, and many toxic chemicals (11)(12)(13).…”

Germination of Spores of Bacillus Species: What We Know and Do Not Know

“…he germination of the dormant and highly resistant spores formed by members of the Firmicutes phylum, in particular bacilli and clostridia, has long been of significant research interest for four major reasons, as follows: (i) fascinating regulatory systems allow such spores to remain in their dormant, resistant state for years and yet return to active growth in minutes; (ii) while spores of most Firmicutes do not cause disease, spores of some bacilli and clostridia cause food spoilage and food-borne disease, as well as human diseases like gas gangrene, tetanus, botulism, anthrax, and pseudomembranous colitis; (iii) spores of Bacillus anthracis are a major bioterrorism threat; and (iv) spores of Clostridium difficile are an emerging public health threat (1)(2)(3). Invariably, it is the germination of spores of these organisms that leads to disease or food spoilage, and yet, when spores germinate and lose their dormancy, they lose their extreme resistance properties and become relatively easy to kill.…”