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Bacillus cereus
Epidemiology:
- ubiquitous soil bacteria [4,5]
- rice, as a consequence of cultivation, harvesting, & handling, is often contaminated with spores of Bacillus cereus
- B cereus can multiply at temperatures as low as 4 C in foods containing rice [4]
Pathology:
2 types of food poisoning due to Bacillus cereus enterotoxins:
1) incubation period 1/2-6 hours
a) associated with preformed toxin (usually in fried rice)
b) profuse vomiting
2) incubation period 8-16 hours
a) production of enterotoxins by viable bacteria in the human intestine
b) profound diarrhea
c) generally associated with eating meat or vegetables
Laboratory:
- gram-positive, spore-forming, facultative anaerobe
- Bacillus cereus in food by culture
- isolation of organism from contaminated food
- Bacillus cereus in specimen
- Bacillus cereus enterotoxin in specimen
Management:
1) infection is self-limited
2) adequate hydration
3) diarrhea form of B cereus does not occur when rice is heated to 95 C [3]
4) killing Bacillus cereus
- steaming under pressure, roasting, frying, 7 grilling foods will kill the bacteria & spores if temperatures within foods are >= 145 F (63 C)
Related
Bacillus cereus enterotoxin
General
Bacillus
Properties
KINGDOM: monera
DIVISION: SCHIZOMYCETES
References
- Mayo Internal Medicine Board Review, 1998-99, Prakash UBS (ed)
Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, 1998, pg 536
- Gilbert RJ, Stringer MF, Peace TC
The survival and growth of Bacillus cereus in boiled and fried rice
in relation to outbreaks of food poisoning.
J Hyg (Lond). 1974 Dec;73(3):433-44.
PMID: 4216605 PMCID: PMC2130471 Free PMC article
- Ankolekar C, Labbe RG
Survival during cooking and growth from spores of diarrheal and
emetic types of Bacillus cereus in rice.
J Food Prot. 2009 Nov;72(11):2386-9.
PMID: 19903405
- Rodrigo D, Rosell CM, Martinez A.
Risk of Bacillus cereus in Relation to Rice and Derivatives.
Foods 2021. Feb 2;10(2):302
PMID: 33540849 PMCID: PMC7913059 Free PMC article
- Jessberger N, Dietrich R, Granum PE, Martlbauer E.
The Bacillus cereus Food Infection as Multifactorial Process.
Toxins (Basel). 2020 Nov 5;12(11):701.
PMID: 33167492 PMCID: PMC7694497 Free PMC article
- Schneider KR et al
Preventing Foodborne Illness: Bacillus cereus
Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, UF/IFAS Extension. 2015, 2017
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Preventing-Foodborne-Illness-Bacillus-cereus.pdf
- Dietrich R, Jessberger N, Ehling-Schulz M et al
The Food Poisoning Toxins of Bacillus cereus.
Toxins (Basel). 2021 Jan 28;13(2):98
PMID: 33525722 PMCID: PMC7911051 Free PMC article
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/13/2/98