Bacillus cereus

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Bacillus cereus is an endemic, soil-dwelling, Gram-positive, beta hemolytic bacteria that causes foodborne illness. B. cereus bacteria are facultative aerobes, and like other members of the genus Bacillus can produce protective endospores.

Pathogenesis

B. cerus is responsible for a minority of foodborne illnesses (2–5%). Generally speaking, Bacillus foodborne illnesses occur due to survival of the bacterial spores when food is improperly cooked. This problem is compounded when food is then improperly refrigerated, allowing the spores to germinate. Bacterial growth results in production of an enterotoxin; the timing of the toxin production may be responsible for the fact that B. cereus can cause two types of food poisoning: a diarrheal type and an emetic type.

*The diarrheal type is associated with a wide-range of foods, has a 8–16 hour incubation time and is associated with diarrhea and gastrointestinal pain. Also know as the long-incubation form of B. cereus food poisoning, it can be difficult to differentiate from poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens.

*In the emetic form, cooked rice that is improperly refrigerated is the most common cause, leading to nausea and vomiting 1–5 hours after consumption. This form can be difficult to distinguish from other short-term bacterial foodborne pathogens (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus).

References

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