• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.40-44
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• 2003

Bacillus anthracis is a gram-positive spore-forming bacterium that causes the disease anthrax. In order to develop a DNA marker specific for Bacillus anthracis and to discriminate this species from Bacillus cereus group, we applied the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR technique to a collection of 29 strains of the genus Bacillus, including 22 species of the B. cereus group. A 709-bp RAPD marker (KHT5) specific for B. anthracis was obtained from B. anthracis BAK. The PCR product of internal primer set from the KHT5 fragment distinguished B. anthracis from the other species of the B. cereus group.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.232-237
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• 2006

Bacillus cereus group comprising B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, and B. mycoides was differentiated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and colony morphology. Prevalence of B. cereus group in rice and distribution of enterotoxin genes were determined as possible food poisoning agents. PCR using primers targeted for gyrB and cry genes could distinguish B. thuringiensis from B. cereus, and B. mycoides was differentiated by rhizoid morphological characteristics on nutrient agar. Among 136 rice and their processed products, prevalence of B. cereus group was 40%. B. cereus group consisted of 54 B. cereus, 11 B. thuringiensis, and 1 B. mycoides. Major isolates were B. cereus, with B. thuringiensis detected up to 10% among edible rice tested. Five enterotoxin genes, hbl, nhe, bceT, entFM, and cytK, were broadly distributed among B. cereus group, especially in B. cereus and B. thuringiensis. Prevalence of B. cereus group in rice and enterotoxin distribution suggest B. thuringiensis and B. cereus are toxigenic strain that should be controlled in rice and its products.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.35.1-35.12
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• 2023

The Bacillus cereus group, also known as B. cereus sensu lato (B. cereus s.l.), is composed of various Bacillus species, some of which can cause diarrheal or emetic food poisoning. Several emerging highly heat-resistant Bacillus species have been identified, these include B. thermoamylovorans, B. sporothermodurans, and B. cytotoxicus NVH 391-98. Herein, we performed whole genome analysis of two thermotolerant Bacillus sp. isolates, Bacillus sp. B48 and Bacillus sp. B140, from an omelet with acacia leaves and fried rice, respectively. Phylogenomic analysis suggested that Bacillus sp. B48 and Bacillus sp. B140 are closely related to B. cereus and B. thuringiensis, respectively. Whole genome alignment of Bacillus sp. B48, Bacillus sp. B140, mesophilic strain B. cereus ATCC14579, and thermophilic strain B. cytotoxicus NVH 391-98 using the Mauve program revealed the presence of numerous homologous regions including genes responsible for heat shock in the dnaK gene cluster. However, the presence of a DUF4253 domain-containing protein was observed only in the genome of B. cereus ATCC14579 while the intracellular protease PfpI family was present only in the chromosome of B. cytotoxicus NVH 391-98. In addition, prophage Clp protease-like proteins were found in the genomes of both Bacillus sp. B48 and Bacillus sp. B140 but not in the genome of B. cereus ATCC14579. The genomic profiles of Bacillus sp. isolates were identified by using whole genome analysis especially those relating to heat-responsive gene clusters. The findings presented in this study lay the foundations for subsequent studies to reveal further insights into the molecular mechanisms of Bacillus species in terms of heat resistance mechanisms.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.678-684
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• 2020

The objective of this study was to identify the fermentation characteristics of Bacillus thuringiensis and emetic, non-emetic Bacillus cereus using analytical profile index (API) test. Ten strains of B. thuringiensis and 10 strains of B. cereus including 3 strains of emetic type were used at the same concentrations. The differences of fermentation characteristics between the B. thuringiensis and B. cereus was not obvious, but the differences between the non-emetic and emetic B. cereus were distinctive. Seven among 50 substrates were negative for all non-emetic B. cereus strains and positive for all emetic strains, and three substrates among additional 12 substrates had the same tendency. From these differences, 3 emetic B. cereus strains were not indicated as B. cereus by API test. These results indicate that API test is not a suitable method to identify some strains of emetic B. cereus, and the distinctive differences in substrate utilization can be used to improve selective media.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.44-55
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• 2016

Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacterium that has been isolated from contaminated fermented soybean food products and from the environment. B. cereus produces diarrheal and emetic toxins and has caused many outbreaks of foodborne diseases. In this study, we investigated whether B. amyloliquefaciens RD7-7, isolated from rice doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste), a traditional Korean fermented soybean food, shows antimicrobial activity against B. cereus and regulates its toxin gene expression. B. amyloliquefaciens RD7-7 exhibited strong antibacterial activity against B. cereus and inhibited the expression of B. cereus toxin-related genes (groEL, nheA, nheC, and entFM). We also found that addition of water extracts of soybean and buckwheat soksungjang (Korean fermented soybean paste made in a short time) fermented with B. amyloliquefaciens RD7-7 significantly reduced the growth and toxin expression of B. cereus. These results indicate that B. amyloliquefaciens RD7-7 could be used to control B. cereus growth and toxin production in the fermented soybean food industry. Our findings also provide a basis for the development of candidate biological control agents against B. cereus to improve the safety of fermented soybean food products.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.447-452
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• 2009

A bacterium, which was named to be Bacillus cereus A-139, secreting auxin was isolated from the east coast sand dunes in Korea. The secretion of auxin was confirmed by HPLC. When cultured in LB broth, Bacillus cereus A-139 produced $16.12\;{\mu}$g/mL auxin after 8 days in LB broth. Bacillus cereus A-139 produced $49\;{\mu}$g/mL auxin and $162.6\;{\mu}$g/mL by the addition of 2% tryptone and 0.1% tryptophan, respectively. The root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana was retarded by Bacillus cereus A-139 culture broth up to 57% but the formation of lateral roots was increased up to almost twice after 4 days incubation. Also the formation of lateral roots of mung bean was increased up to 57% after 10 days incubation.

• The Journal of Natural Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2007

Regulation of invertase biosynthesis was studied with alkalophilic and thermophilic Bacillus cereus TA-11. Biosynthesis of invertase in Bacillus cereus TA-11 was effectively induced in the presence of 10 mM of sucrose for 180 min and 25 mM of raffinose for 90 min, respectively. Glucose repressed the invertase induction by sucrose and as late addition time of glucose, invertase formation was increased, indicating that glucose repression was occurred by inducer exclusion. Catabolite repression was not reduced by the addition of cAMP for 180 min of induction.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.208-214
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• 2009

To avoid ambiguity in counting the number of colony, about 1,500 of colonies grown on B. cereus selective agar plates were grouped into 12 types by morphological difference and then identified by biochemical and 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence. Among them, seven colony types with 11 to 15 mm diameters of halo were identified as B. cereus or B. cereus subsp. cytotoxis. Five mm sized colonies with no halo, which have not been considered as B. cereus according to the manufacturer's manual, were identified as B. cereus. A colony type with double halos of only 6 mm in diameter was also B. cereus. Other three types were proven to be Enterococcus sp., Brevibacillus sp., and B. subtilis, respectively. PCR results showed that only 9 types that are identified as B. cereus strains harbor at least one of B. cereus toxin genes.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.361-367
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• 2010

Bacterial contamination of cooked rice was analyzed to evaluate the microbial safety. Thirty raw rice samples were collected in Korea and cooked in an electric rice cooker. Mesophilic aerobe, food-poisoning Bacillus cereus group, and their toxin genes were determined on cooked rice. The percentage of total mesophilic aerobe based on 1-3 log CFU/g was 27% among the samples. Bacillus spp. in MYP selective medium was similar to the number of mesophilic aerobe, whileas Bacillus spp. was detected in most samples after enrichment. Thirty-seven isolates from 30 cooked rices were identified as B. thuringiensis, B. cereus, B. valismortis, B. pumilus, B. coagulans, B. licheniformis, Geobacillus stearothermophilus, and Brevibacillus laterosporus. Twenty isolates (54%), more than half of the isolates, were B. thuringiensis while nine (27%) were identified as B. cereus. All B. thuringiensis isolates possessed non-hemolytic toxin genes and interestingly, seven B. cereus among nine isolates possessed emetic toxin genes. More B. thuringiensis was present on the cooked rice than B. cereus and most B. cereus possessed emetic toxin genes rather than diarrheal toxin genes. Therefore, food-borne outbreak due to B.cereus on the cooked rice kept at room temperature might be examples of emetic food-poisoning.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.304-310
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• 2007

Bacillus cereus 1-1 strain produced 2 mM of ALA in the aerobic dark condition without any inhibitor like levulinic acid. The optimum culture conditions for the ALA production were that preculture and main culture were continued for 18 hr in TCY medium, and 16 mM of organic acids like acetic acid were added at the late log phase when the pH was 6.8. And the addition of 0.3% glucose was effective at the beginning of the main culture. ALA production was continued for more than 8 hr by the addition of glutamic acid instead of acetic acid, and was inhibited by addition of $40\;{\mu}M$ gabaculine seriously. These results confirmed that B. cereus 1-1 strain produced ALA through C-5 pathway.