Abstract
Members of the genus Bacillus are rod-shaped spore-forming bacteria belonging to the Firmicutes, the low G+C gram-positive bacteria. The Bacillus genus was first described and classified by Ferdinand Cohn in Cohn (1872), and Bacillus subtilis was defined as the type species (Soule, 1932). Several Bacilli may be linked to opportunistic infections. However, pathogenicity among Bacillus spp. is mainly a feature of bacteria belonging to the Bacillus cereus group, including B. cereus, Bacillus anthracis, and Bacillus thuringiensis. Here we review the genomics of B. cereus group bacteria in relation to their roles as etiological agents of two food poisoning syndromes (emetic and diarrhoeal).
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Agaisse H, Gominet M, Økstad OA, Kolstø AB, Lereclus D (1999) PlcR is a pleiotropic regulator of extracellular virulence factor gene expression in Bacillus thuringiensis. Mol Microbiol 32:1043–1053
Apetroaie-Constantin C, Mikkola R, Andersson MA, Teplova V, Suominen I, Johansson T, Salkinoja-Salonen M (2009) Bacillus subtilis and B. mojavensis strains connected to food poisoning produce the heat stable toxin amylosin. J Appl Microbiol 106:1976–1985
Aronson A (2002) Sporulation and delta-endotoxin synthesis by Bacillus thuringiensis. Cell Mol Life Sci 59:417–425
Asano SI, Nukumizu Y, Bando H, Iizuka T, Yamamoto T (1997) Cloning of novel enterotoxin genes from Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:1054–1057
Auger S, Galleron N, Bidnenko E, Ehrlich SD, Lapidus A, Sorokin A (2008) The genetically remote pathogenic strain NVH391-98 of the Bacillus cereus group is representative of a cluster of thermophilic strains. Appl Environ Microbiol 74:1276–1280
Baida G, Budarina ZI, Kuzmin NP, Solonin AS (1999) Complete nucleotide sequence and molecular characterization of hemolysin II gene from Bacillus cereus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 180:7–14
Baida GE, Kuzmin NP (1995) Cloning and primary structure of a new hemolysin gene from Bacillus cereus. Biochim Biophys Acta 1264:151–154
Barker M, Thakker B, Priest FG (2005) Multilocus sequence typing reveals that Bacillus cereus strains isolated from clinical infections have distinct phylogenetic origins. FEMS Microbiol Lett 245:179–184
Baron F, Cochet MF, Grosset N, Madec MN, Briandet R, Dessaigne S et al (2007) Isolation and characterization of a psychrotolerant toxin producer, Bacillus weihenstephanensis, in liquid egg products. J Food Prot 70:2782–2791
Beatty ME, Ashford DA, Griffin PM, Tauxe RV, Sobel J (2003) Gastrointestinal anthrax: review of the literature. Arch Intern Med 163:2527–2531
Beecher DJ, Macmillan JD (1991) Characterization of the components of hemolysin BL from Bacillus cereus. Infect Immun 59:1778–1784
Beecher DJ, Wong AC (1997) Tripartite hemolysin BL from Bacillus cereus. Hemolytic analysis of component interactions and a model for its characteristic paradoxical zone phenomenon. J Biol Chem 272:233–239
Beecher DJ, Wong AC (2000) Tripartite haemolysin BL: isolation and characterization of two distinct homologous sets of components from a single Bacillus cereus isolate. Microbiology 146(Pt 6):1371–1380
Bottone EJ (2010) Bacillus cereus, a volatile human pathogen. Clin Microbiol Rev 23:382–398
Bouillaut L, Perchat S, Arold S, Zorrilla S, Slamti L, Henry C et al (2008) Molecular basis for group-specific activation of the virulence regulator PlcR by PapR heptapeptides. Nucleic Acids Res 36:3791–3801
Brillard J, Lereclus D (2004) Comparison of cytotoxin cytK promoters from Bacillus cereus strain ATCC 14579 and from a B. cereus food-poisoning strain. Microbiology 150:2699–2705
Candela T, Fouet A (2006) Poly-gamma-glutamate in bacteria. Mol Microbiol 60:1091–1098
Carlson CR, Caugant DA, Kolstø AB (1994a) Genotypic diversity among Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis strains. Appl Environ Microbiol 60:1719–1725
Carlson CR, Caugant DA, Kolstø AB (1994b) Genotypic diversity among Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis strains. Appl Environ Microbiol 60:1719–1725
Carlson CR, Gronstad A, Kolstø AB (1992) Physical maps of the genomes of three Bacillus cereus strains. J Bacteriol 174:3750–3756
Carlson CR, Johansen T, Kolstø AB (1996) The chromosome map of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. canadensis HD224 is highly similar to that of the Bacillus cereus type strain ATCC 14579. FEMS Microbiol Lett 141:163–167
Carlson CR, Kolstø AB (1993) A complete physical map of a Bacillus thuringiensis chromosome. J Bacteriol 175:1053–1060
Chitlaru T, Gat O, Gozlan Y, Ariel N, Shafferman A (2006) Differential proteomic analysis of the Bacillus anthracis secretome: distinct plasmid and chromosome CO2-dependent cross talk mechanisms modulate extracellular proteolytic activities. J Bacteriol 188:3551–3571
Cohn F (1872) Untersuchungen über Bacterien. Beitrage zur Biologie der Pflanzen 1:127–244
Dai Z, Sirard JC, Mock M, Koehler TM (1995) The atxA gene product activates transcription of the anthrax toxin genes and is essential for virulence. Mol Microbiol 16:1171–1181
Delihas N (2008) Small mobile sequences in bacteria display diverse structure/function motifs. Mol Microbiol 67:475–481
Dierick K, Van Coillie E, Swiecicka I, Meyfroidt G, Devlieger H, Meulemans A et al (2005) Fatal family outbreak of Bacillus cereus-associated food poisoning. J Clin Microbiol 43:4277–4279
Drobniewski FA (1993) Bacillus cereus and related species. Clin Microbiol Rev 6:324–338
Drysdale M, Heninger S, Hutt J, Chen Y, Lyons CR, Koehler TM (2005) Capsule synthesis by Bacillus anthracis is required for dissemination in murine inhalation anthrax. EMBO J 24:221–227
Ehling-Schulz M, Fricker M, Grallert H, Rieck P, Wagner M, Scherer S (2006) Cereulide synthetase gene cluster from emetic Bacillus cereus: structure and location on a mega virulence plasmid related to Bacillus anthracis toxin plasmid pXO1. BMC Microbiol 6:20
Ehling-Schulz M, Vukov N, Schulz A, Shaheen R, Andersson M, Martlbauer E, Scherer S (2005a) Identification and partial characterization of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene responsible for cereulide production in emetic Bacillus cereus. Appl Environ Microbiol 71:105–113
Ehling-Schulz M, Svensson B, Guinebretiere MH, Lindback T, Andersson M, Schulz A et al (2005b) Emetic toxin formation of Bacillus cereus is restricted to a single evolutionary lineage of closely related strains. Microbiology 151:183–197
Fagerlund A, Brillard J, Furst R, Guinebretiere MH, Granum PE (2007) Toxin production in a rare and genetically remote cluster of strains of the Bacillus cereus group. BMC Microbiol 7:43
Fagerlund A, Lindback T, Storset AK, Granum PE, Hardy SP (2008) Bacillus cereus Nhe is a pore-forming toxin with structural and functional properties similar to the ClyA (HlyE, SheA) family of haemolysins, able to induce osmotic lysis in epithelia. Microbiology 154:693–704
Fedhila S, Daou N, Lereclus D, Nielsen-LeRoux C (2006) Identification of Bacillus cereus internalin and other candidate virulence genes specifically induced during oral infection in insects. Mol Microbiol 62:339–355
Fedhila S, Gohar M, Slamti L, Nel P, Lereclus D (2003) The Bacillus thuringiensis PlcR-regulated gene inhA2 is necessary, but not sufficient, for virulence. J Bacteriol 185:2820–2825
Fedhila S, Guillemet E, Nel P, Lereclus D (2004) Characterization of two Bacillus thuringiensis genes identified by in vivo screening of virulence factors. Appl Environ Microbiol 70:4784–4791
Fedhila S, Nel P, Lereclus D (2002) The InhA2 metalloprotease of Bacillus thuringiensis strain 407 is required for pathogenicity in insects infected via the oral route. J Bacteriol 184:3296–3304
Fouet A, Mock M (2006) Regulatory networks for virulence and persistence of Bacillus anthracis. Curr Opin Microbiol 9:160–166
Ghelardi E, Celandroni F, Salvetti S, Fiscarelli E, Senesi S (2007) Bacillus thuringiensis pulmonary infection: critical role for bacterial membrane-damaging toxins and host neutrophils. Microbes Infect 9:591–598
Gohar M, Faegri K, Perchat S, Ravnum S, Økstad OA, Gominet M et al (2008) The PlcR virulence regulon of Bacillus cereus. PLoS One 3:e2793
Gohar M, Gilois N, Graveline R, Garreau C, Sanchis V, Lereclus D (2005) A comparative study of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracis extracellular proteomes. Proteomics 5:3696–3711
Granum PE, O’Sullivan K, Lund T (1999) The sequence of the non-haemolytic enterotoxin operon from Bacillus cereus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 177:225–229
Han CS, Xie G, Challacombe JF, Altherr MR, Bhotika SS, Brown N et al (2006) Pathogenomic sequence analysis of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis isolates closely related to Bacillus anthracis. J Bacteriol 188:3382–3390
Helgason E, Caugant DA, Lecadet MM, Chen Y, Mahillon J, Lovgren A et al (1998) Genetic diversity of Bacillus cereus/B. thuringiensis isolates from natural sources. Curr Microbiol 37:80–87
Helgason E, Caugant DA, Olsen I, Kolstø AB (2000a) Genetic structure of population of Bacillus cereus and B. thuringiensis isolates associated with periodontitis and other human infections. J Clin Microbiol 38:1615–1622
Helgason E, Tourasse NJ, Meisal R, Caugant DA, Kolstø AB (2004) Multilocus sequence typing scheme for bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group. Appl Environ Microbiol 70:191–201
Helgason E, Økstad OA, Caugant DA, Johansen HA, Fouet A, Mock M et al (2000b) Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus thuringiensis – one species on the basis of genetic evidence. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:2627–2630
Helgason E, Økstad OA, Caugant DA, Johansen HA, Fouet A, Mock M et al (2000c) Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus thuringiensis – one species on the basis of genetic evidence. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:2627–2630
Hendriksen NB, Hansen BM, Johansen JE (2006) Occurrence and pathogenic potential of Bacillus cereus group bacteria in a sandy loam. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 89:239–249
Hernandez E, Ramisse F, Cruel T, le Vagueresse R, Cavallo JD (1999) Bacillus thuringiensis serotype H34 isolated from human and insecticidal strains serotypes 3a3b and H14 can lead to death of immunocompetent mice after pulmonary infection. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 24:43–47
Herron WM (1930) Rancidity in cheddar cheese. Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
Hill KK, Ticknor LO, Okinaka RT, Asay M, Blair H, Bliss KA et al (2004) Fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus thuringiensis isolates. Appl Environ Microbiol 70:1068–1080
Hoffmaster AR, Ravel J, Rasko DA, Chapman GD, Chute MD, Marston CK et al (2004) Identification of anthrax toxin genes in a Bacillus cereus associated with an illness resembling inhalation anthrax. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 101:8449–8454
Hoton FM, Andrup L, Swiecicka I, Mahillon J (2005) The cereulide genetic determinants of emetic Bacillus cereus are plasmid-borne. Microbiology 151:2121–2124
Ivanova N, Sorokin A, Anderson I, Galleron N, Candelon B, Kapatral V et al (2003) Genome sequence of Bacillus cereus and comparative analysis with Bacillus anthracis. Nature 423:87–91
Jackson PJ, Hill KK, Laker MT, Ticknor LO, Keim P (1999) Genetic comparison of Bacillus anthracis and its close relatives using amplified fragment length polymorphism and polymerase chain reaction analysis. J Appl Microbiol 87:263–269
Jensen GB, Hansen BM, Eilenberg J, Mahillon J (2003) The hidden lifestyles of Bacillus cereus and relatives. Environ Microbiol 5:631–640
Jernigan JA, Stephens DS, Ashford DA, Omenaca C, Topiel MS, Galbraith M et al (2001) Bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax: the first 10 cases reported in the United States. Emerg Infect Dis 7:933–944
Keim P, Kalif A, Schupp J, Hill K, Travis SE, Richmond K et al (1997a) Molecular evolution and diversity in Bacillus anthracis as detected by amplified fragment length polymorphism markers. J Bacteriol 179:818–824
Keim P, Kalif A, Schupp J, Hill K, Travis SE, Richmond K et al (1997b) Molecular evolution and diversity in Bacillus anthracis as detected by amplified fragment length polymorphism markers. J Bacteriol 179:818–824
Klee SR, Brzuszkiewicz EB, Nattermann H, Brüggemann H, Dupke S, Wollherr A, Franz T, Pauli G, Appel B, Liebl W, Couacy-Hymann E, Boesch C, Meyer FD, Leendertz FH, Ellerbrok H, Gottschalk G, Grunow R, Liesegang H (2010) The genome of a Bacillus isolate causing anthrax in chimpanzees combines chromosomal properties of B. cereus with B. anthracis virulence plasmids. PLoS One 5(7):e10986.
Klee SR, Ozel M, Appel B, Boesch C, Ellerbrok H, Jacob D et al (2006) Characterization of Bacillus anthracis-like bacteria isolated from wild great apes from Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon. J Bacteriol 188:5333–5344
Klevan A, Tourasse NJ, Stabell FB, Kolstø AB, Økstad OA (2007) Exploring the evolution of the Bacillus cereus group repeat element bcr1 by comparative genome analysis of closely related strains. Microbiology 153:3894–3908
Kolstø AB, Tourasse NJ, Økstad OA (2009) What sets Bacillus anthracis apart from other Bacillus species? Annu Rev Microbiol 63:451–476
Kotiranta A, Lounatmaa K, Haapasalo M (2000) Epidemiology and pathogenesis of Bacillus cereus infections. Microbes Infect 2:189–198
Kreft J, Berger H, Hartlein M, Muller B, Weidinger G, Goebel W (1983) Cloning and expression in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis of the hemolysin (cereolysin) determinant from Bacillus cereus. J Bacteriol 155:681–689
Kuppe A, Evans LM, McMillen DA, Griffith OH (1989) Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C of Bacillus cereus: cloning, sequencing, and relationship to other phospholipases. J Bacteriol 171:6077–6083
Lapidus A, Goltsman E, Auger S, Galleron N, Segurens B, Dossat C et al (2008) Extending the Bacillus cereus group genomics to putative food-borne pathogens of different toxicity. Chem Biol Interact 171:236–249
Leendertz FH, Ellerbrok H, Boesch C, Couacy-Hymann E, Matz-Rensing K, Hakenbeck R et al (2004) Anthrax kills wild chimpanzees in a tropical rainforest. Nature 430:451–452
Leendertz FH, Lankester F, Guislain P, Neel C, Drori O, Dupain J et al (2006) Anthrax in Western and Central African great apes. Am J Primatol 68:928–933
Lindback T, Fagerlund A, Rodland MS, Granum PE (2004) Characterization of the Bacillus cereus Nhe enterotoxin. Microbiology 150:3959–3967
Lindbäck T, Hardy SP, Dietrich R, Sødring M, Didier A, Moravek M, Fagerlund A, Bock S, Nielsen C, Casteel M, Granum PE, Märtlbauer E (2010) Cytotoxicity of the Bacillus cereus Nhe enterotoxin requires specific binding order of its three exoprotein components. Infect Immun. 78(9):3813–3821
Lindback T, Økstad OA, Rishovd AL, Kolstø AB (1999) Insertional inactivation of hblC encoding the L2 component of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 haemolysin BL strongly reduces enterotoxigenic activity, but not the haemolytic activity against human erythrocytes. Microbiology 145(Pt 11):3139–3146
Lovgren A, Carlson CR, Kang D, Eskils K, Kolstø AB (2002) Physical mapping of the Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and alesti chromosomes. Curr Microbiol 44:81–87
Lucking G, Dommel MK, Scherer S, Fouet A, Ehling-Schulz M (2009) Cereulide synthesis in emetic Bacillus cereus is controlled by the transition state regulator AbrB, but not by the virulence regulator PlcR. Microbiology 155:922–931
Lund T, De Buyser ML, Granum PE (2000) A new cytotoxin from Bacillus cereus that may cause necrotic enteritis. Mol Microbiol 38:254–261
Lund T, Granum PE (1996) Characterisation of a non-haemolytic enterotoxin complex from Bacillus cereus isolated after a foodborne outbreak. FEMS Microbiol Lett 141:151–156
Mahler H, Pasi A, Kramer JM, Schulte P, Scoging AC, Bar W, Krahenbuhl S (1997) Fulminant liver failure in association with the emetic toxin of Bacillus cereus. N Engl J Med 336:1142–1148
Margulis L, Jorgensen JZ, Dolan S, Kolchinsky R, Rainey FA, Lo SC (1998) The Arthromitus stage of Bacillus cereus: intestinal symbionts of animals. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:1236–1241
McIntyre L, Bernard K, Beniac D, Isaac-Renton JL, Naseby DC (2008) Identification of Bacillus cereus group species associated with food poisoning outbreaks in British Columbia, Canada. Appl Environ Microbiol 74:7451–7453
Mignot T, Couture-Tosi E, Mesnage S, Mock M, Fouet A (2004) In vivo Bacillus anthracis gene expression requires PagR as an intermediate effector of the AtxA signalling cascade. Int J Med Microbiol 293:619–624
Mignot T, Mock M, Fouet A (2003) A plasmid-encoded regulator couples the synthesis of toxins and surface structures in Bacillus anthracis. Mol Microbiol 47:917–927
Mock M, Fouet A (2001) Anthrax. Annu Rev Microbiol 55:647–671
Mock M, Mignot T (2003) Anthrax toxins and the host: a story of intimacy. Cell Microbiol 5:15–23
Nieminen T, Rintaluoma N, Andersson M, Taimisto AM, Ali-Vehmas T, Seppala A et al (2007) Toxinogenic Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus licheniformis from mastitic milk. Vet Microbiol 124:329–339
Okinaka R, Cloud K, Hampton O, Hoffmaster A, Hill K, Keim P et al (1999a) Sequence, assembly and analysis of pX01 and pX02. J Appl Microbiol 87:261–262
Okinaka RT, Cloud K, Hampton O, Hoffmaster AR, Hill KK, Keim P et al (1999b) Sequence and organization of pXO1, the large Bacillus anthracis plasmid harboring the anthrax toxin genes. J Bacteriol 181:6509–6515
Økstad OA, Hegna I, Lindback T, Rishovd AL, Kolstø AB (1999a) Genome organization is not conserved between Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis. Microbiology 145(Pt 3):621–631
Økstad OA, Gominet M, Purnelle B, Rose M, Lereclus D, Kolstø AB (1999b) Sequence analysis of three Bacillus cereus loci carrying PIcR-regulated genes encoding degradative enzymes and enterotoxin. Microbiology 145(Pt 11):3129–3138
Økstad OA, Tourasse NJ, Stabell FB, Sundfaer CK, Egge-Jacobsen W, Risoen PA et al (2004) The bcr1 DNA repeat element is specific to the Bacillus cereus group and exhibits mobile element characteristics. J Bacteriol 186:7714–7725
Oscarsson J, Mizunoe Y, Uhlin BE, Haydon DJ (1996) Induction of haemolytic activity in Escherichia coli by the slyA gene product. Mol Microbiol 20:191–199
Oscarsson J, Westermark M, Lofdahl S, Olsen B, Palmgren H, Mizunoe Y et al (2002) Characterization of a pore-forming cytotoxin expressed by Salmonella enterica serovars typhi and paratyphi A. Infect Immun 70:5759–5769
Pannucci J, Okinaka RT, Sabin R, Kuske CR (2002a) Bacillus anthracis pXO1 plasmid sequence conservation among closely related bacterial species. J Bacteriol 184:134–141
Pannucci J, Okinaka RT, Williams E, Sabin R, Ticknor LO, Kuske CR (2002b) DNA sequence conservation between the Bacillus anthracis pXO2 plasmid and genomic sequence from closely related bacteria. BMC Genomics 3:34
Passalacqua KD, Bergman NH (2006) Bacillus anthracis: interactions with the host and establishment of inhalational anthrax. Future Microbiol 1:397–415
Perego M, Hoch JA (2008) Commingling regulatory systems following acquisition of virulence plasmids by Bacillus anthracis. Trends Microbiol 16:215–221
Preisz H (1909) Experimentelle studien über virulenz, empfänglichkeit und immunität beim milzbrand. Zeitschr Immunität-Forsch 5:341–452
Priest FG (1993) Systematics and ecology of Bacillus. In: Bacillus subtilis and other Gram-positive bacteria - Biochemistry, physiology, and molecular genetics. In: Sonenshein AL, Hoch JA, Losick R (eds.) ASM press, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C. ISBN 1-55581-053-5.
Pruss BM, Dietrich R, Nibler B, Martlbauer E, Scherer S (1999) The hemolytic enterotoxin HBL is broadly distributed among species of the Bacillus cereus group. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:5436–5442
Rasko DA, Altherr MR, Han CS, Ravel J (2005) Genomics of the Bacillus cereus group of organisms. FEMS Microbiol Rev 29:303–329
Rasko DA, Ravel J, Økstad OA, Helgason E, Cer RZ, Jiang L et al (2004) The genome sequence of Bacillus cereus ATCC 10987 reveals metabolic adaptations and a large plasmid related to Bacillus anthracis pXO1. Nucleic Acids Res 32:977–988
Rasko DA, Rosovitz MJ, Økstad OA, Fouts DE, Jiang L, Cer RZ et al (2007) Complete sequence analysis of novel plasmids from emetic and periodontal Bacillus cereus isolates reveals a common evolutionary history among the B. cereus-group plasmids, including Bacillus anthracis pXO1. J Bacteriol 189:52–64
Read TD, Peterson SN, Tourasse N, Baillie LW, Paulsen IT, Nelson KE et al (2003a) The genome sequence of Bacillus anthracis Ames and comparison to closely related bacteria. Nature 423:81–86
Read TD, Peterson SN, Tourasse NJ, Baillie LW, Paulsen IT, Nelson KE et al (2003b) The genome sequence of Bacillus anthracis Ames and comparison to closely related bacteria. Nature 423:81–86
Read TD, Salzberg SL, Pop M, Shumway M, Umayam L, Jiang L et al (2002) Comparative genome sequencing for discovery of novel polymorphisms in Bacillus anthracis. Science 296:2028–2033
Reddy A, Battisti L, Thorne CB (1987) Identification of self-transmissible plasmids in four Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies. J Bacteriol 169:5263–5270
Richter S, Anderson VJ, Garufi G, Lu L, Budzik JM, Joachimiak A et al (2009) Capsule anchoring in Bacillus anthracis occurs by a transpeptidation reaction that is inhibited by capsidin. Mol Microbiol 71:404–420
Saile E, Koehler TM (2006) Bacillus anthracis multiplication, persistence, and genetic exchange in the rhizosphere of grass plants. Appl Environ Microbiol 72:3168–3174
Salkinoja-Salonen MS, Vuorio R, Andersson MA, Kampfer P, Andersson MC, Honkanen-Buzalski T, Scoging AC (1999) Toxigenic strains of Bacillus licheniformis related to food poisoning. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:4637–4645
Scarano C, Virdis S, Cossu F, Frongia R, De Santis EP, Cosseddu AM (2009) The pattern of toxin genes and expression of diarrheal enterotoxins in Bacillus thuringiensis strains isolated from commercial bioinsecticides. Vet Res Commun 33(Suppl 1):257–260
Schnepf E, Crickmore N, Van Rie J, Lereclus D, Baum J, Feitelson J et al (1998) Bacillus thuringiensis and its pesticidal crystal proteins. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 62:775–806
Shinagawa K, Sugiyama J, Terada T, Matsusaka N, Sugii S (1991) Improved methods for purification of an enterotoxin produced by Bacillus cereus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 64:1–5
Slamti L, Lereclus D (2002) A cell-cell signaling peptide activates the PlcR virulence regulon in bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group. EMBO J 21:4550–4559
Slamti L, Lereclus D (2005) Specificity and polymorphism of the PlcR-PapR quorum-sensing system in the Bacillus cereus group. J Bacteriol 187:1182–1187
Soberon M, Pardo-Lopez L, Lopez I, Gomez I, Tabashnik BE, Bravo A (2007) Engineering modified Bt toxins to counter insect resistance. Science 318:1640–1642
Soule M (1932) Identity of Bacillus subtilis, Cohn 1872. J Infect Dis 51:191–215
Sozhamannan S, Chute MD, McAfee FD, Fouts DE, Akmal A, Galloway DR et al (2006) The Bacillus anthracis chromosome contains four conserved, excision-proficient, putative prophages. BMC Microbiol 6:34
Stenfors Arnesen LP, Fagerlund A, Granum PE (2008) From soil to gut: Bacillus cereus and its food poisoning toxins. FEMS Microbiol Rev 32:579–606
Stenfors LP, Granum PE (2001) Psychrotolerant species from the Bacillus cereus group are not necessarily Bacillus weihenstephanensis. FEMS Microbiol Lett 197:223–228
Suyama M, Bork P (2001) Evolution of prokaryotic gene order: genome rearrangements in closely related species. Trends Genet 17:10–13
Thorsen L, Hansen BM, Nielsen KF, Hendriksen NB, Phipps RK, Budde BB (2006) Characterization of emetic Bacillus weihenstephanensis, a new cereulide-producing bacterium. Appl Environ Microbiol 72:5118–5121
Ticknor LO, Kolstø AB, Hill KK, Keim P, Laker MT, Tonks M, Jackson PJ (2001) Fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of Norwegian Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis soil isolates. Appl Environ Microbiol 67:4863–4873
Tourasse NJ, Helgason E, Klevan A, Sylvestre P, Moya M, Haustant M, Økstad OA, Fouet A, Mock M, Kolstø AB. Extended and global phylogenetic view of the Bacillus cereus group population by combination of MLST, AFLP, and MLEE genotyping data. Food Microbiology. In Press.
Tourasse NJ, Helgason E, Økstad OA, Hegna IK, Kolstø AB (2006) The Bacillus cereus group: novel aspects of population structure and genome dynamics. J Appl Microbiol 101:579–593
Tourasse NJ, Kolstø AB (2008) SuperCAT: a supertree database for combined and integrative multilocus sequence typing analysis of the Bacillus cereus group of bacteria (including B. cereus, B. anthracis and B. thuringiensis). Nucleic Acids Res 36:D461–D468
Tran SL, Guillemet E, Gohar M, Lereclus D, Ramarao N (2010) CwpFM (EntFM) is a Bacillus cereus potential cell wall peptidase implicated in adhesion, biofilm formation, and virulence. J Bacteriol 192:2638–2642
Uchida I, Hornung JM, Thorne CB, Klimpel KR, Leppla SH (1993) Cloning and characterization of a gene whose product is a trans-activator of anthrax toxin synthesis. J Bacteriol 175:5329–5338
Uchida I, Makino S, Sekizaki T, Terakado N (1997) Cross-talk to the genes for Bacillus anthracis capsule synthesis by atxA, the gene encoding the trans-activator of anthrax toxin synthesis. Mol Microbiol 23:1229–1240
Van der Auwera GA, Andrup L, Mahillon J (2005) Conjugative plasmid pAW63 brings new insights into the genesis of the Bacillus anthracis virulence plasmid pXO2 and of the Bacillus thuringiensis plasmid pBT9727. BMC Genomics 6:103
Van Ert MN, Easterday WR, Huynh LY, Okinaka RT, Hugh-Jones ME, Ravel J et al (2007) Global genetic population structure of Bacillus anthracis. PLoS ONE 2:e461
Vassileva M, Torii K, Oshimoto M, Okamoto A, Agata N, Yamada K et al (2007) A new phylogenetic cluster of cereulide-producing Bacillus cereus strains. J Clin Microbiol 45:1274–1277
Verheust C, Fornelos N, Mahillon J (2005) GIL16, a new gram-positive tectiviral phage related to the Bacillus thuringiensis GIL01 and the Bacillus cereus pBClin15 elements. J Bacteriol 187:1966–1973
Wallace AJ, Stillman TJ, Atkins A, Jamieson SJ, Bullough PA, Green J, Artymiuk PJ (2000) E. coli hemolysin E (HlyE, ClyA, SheA): X-ray crystal structure of the toxin and observation of membrane pores by electron microscopy. Cell 100:265–276
Whiteley HR, Schnepf HE (1986) The molecular biology of parasporal crystal body formation in Bacillus thuringiensis. Annu Rev Microbiol 40:549–576
Young JA, Collier RJ (2007) Anthrax toxin: receptor binding, internalization, pore formation, and translocation. Annu Rev Biochem 76:243–265
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Økstad, O.A., Kolstø, AB. (2011). Genomics of Bacillus Species. In: Wiedmann, M., Zhang, W. (eds) Genomics of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens. Food Microbiology and Food Safety. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7686-4_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7686-4_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-7685-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-7686-4
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials ScienceChemistry and Material Science (R0)