Medycyna Wet. 62 (1), 28-31, 2006

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Bartoszewicz M., Święcicka I., Buczek J.
Cereulide and enterotoxins of Bacillus cereus sensu lato
Bacillus cereus sensu lato is composed of: Bacillus cereus sensu stricto, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus pseudomycoides, and the recently described Bacillus weihenstephanensis. Most of these have a great impact on human activity. B. cereus and B. anthracis are well-known pathogens of mammals (including humans); B. thuringiensis is a commonly used insecticide, while B. mycoides improves plants growth. The psychotropic B. weihenstephanensis is a serious problem in food cold-storing. B. cereus s.s. produces one emetic toxin causing emesis and at least six different enterotoxins such as: hemolytic enterotoxin (HBL), non-hemolytic enterotoxin (NHE), enterotoxin T (BcET), hemolysin II, cytotoxin K (CytK), and enterotoxin FM (EntFM). HBL, NHE, and CytK have been involved in food poisoning. The other bacilli of the B. cereus group are also reported to produce enterotoxins which may lead to serious outbreaks of illness. Thus, the consequences of the above study in the area of food safety need to be seriously evaluated.
Keywords: Bacillus cereus , emetic toxin, enterotoxin