Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Steven Batinovic, Cassandra R. Stanton, Daniel T. F. Rice, Brittany Rowe, Michael Beer, Steve Petrovski
Summary: This study isolated five phages infecting Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, and conducted classification and genomic organization analysis. The research revealed the DNA packaging mechanism, invasion mechanisms, and lifecycle of Tyroviruses. This is of great importance for understanding the spread and evolutionary history of phages preying on Bacillus species.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Laura M. Carroll, Rachel A. Cheng, Martin Wiedmann, Jasna Kovac
Summary: The Bacillus cereus group, also known as B. cereus sensu lato (s.l.), is a complex species containing multiple closely related lineages with varying pathogenic abilities. Taxonomic classification of these organisms is challenging due to conflicting changes proposed over the years. This review discusses the nomenclatural changes in the taxonomic space of B. cereus s.l., outlines contemporary taxonomic frameworks, and offers suggestions to avoid ambiguities in classification. Future directions and open problems in the taxonomic realm are also discussed.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Viviana Manzulli, Valeria Rondinone, Alessandro Buchicchio, Luigina Serrecchia, Dora Cipolletta, Antonio Fasanella, Antonio Parisi, Laura Difato, Michela Iatarola, Angela Aceti, Elena Poppa, Francesco Tolve, Lorenzo Pace, Fiorenza Petruzzi, Ines Della Rovere, Donato Antonio Raele, Laura Del Sambro, Luigi Giangrossi, Domenico Galante
Summary: MALDI-TOF MS technology is used to analyze 160 strains belonging to the Bacillus cereus group, detecting specific biomarkers for unequivocal identification. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to compare mass spectra and generate algorithms for rapid automatic detection. Specific biomarkers can be used for strain differentiation and reliable identification of Bacillus anthracis, offering time advantage for diagnosis and management of human anthrax.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eva Maria Kalbhenn, Markus Kranzler, Agnieszka Gacek-Matthews, Gregor Grass, Timo D. Stark, Elrike Frenzel, Monika Ehling-Schulz
Summary: Bacillus cereus causes emetic type foodborne disease through production of the small peptide toxin cereulide. The CesNRPS multienzyme machinery, encoding Ces nonribosomal peptide synthetase, is located on a plasmid designated pCER270. Chromosomal transcriptional factors CodY and AbrB control ces transcription. In addition, a plasmid-encoded transcription factor PagRBc, homologous to PagR in Bacillus anthracis, also plays an important role in the regulation of cereulide synthesis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Mehdi Abdelli, Charlotte Falaise, Valerie Morineaux-Hilaire, Amelie Cumont, Laurent Taysse, Francoise Raynaud, Vincent Ramisse
Summary: This study sequenced and characterized 65 isolates of Bacillus cereus s.l. and found that they did not carry anthrax-toxin genes, but did carry other virulence factors and toxin profiles. Additionally, one isolate was found to be the closest neighbor to B. anthracis and had a large plasmid similar to other B. cereus s.l. megaplasmids.
Article
Microbiology
Laura M. Carroll, Chung K. Marston, Cari B. Kolton, Christopher A. Gulvik, Jay E. Gee, Zachary P. Weiner, Jasna Kovac
Summary: This study characterized three B. cereus s.l. isolates associated with two anthrax cases in welders in the United States in 2020. The genomes of these isolates belonged to different species, with two being closely related to B. tropicus and one being most similar to B. anthracis.
Article
Microbiology
Xingchen Zhao, Athanasios Zervas, Marc Hendriks, Andreja Rajkovic, Leo van Overbeek, Niels Bohse Hendriksen, Mieke Uyttendaele
Summary: In this study, the origins of certain Bacillus cereus isolates found in food products were identified as being from the applied Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) biocontrol products. The study also showed that using Bt as a biological control agent in the field can lead to higher residual levels of Bt in food, and it is recommended to establish a pre-harvest interval to lower the likelihood of exceeding safety limits. Furthermore, whole genome sequencing (WGS) was found to be the best method for identifying Bt biopesticide isolates.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ephrem Debebe Zegeye, Brajabandhu Pradhan, Ann-Katrin Llarena, Marina Aspholm
Summary: The spores of various Bacillus cereus species are covered with hair/pilus-like appendages, including S-Ena and L-Ena structures, which are key subjects of study. Ena homologs are widely distributed among species and may play important functional roles, necessitating further research on their impact on spore-environment interactions. A better understanding of the roles of these structures in spore biological functions and their physicochemical properties is needed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Kyung-Min Park, Hyun-Jung Kim, Min-Sun Kim, Minseon Koo
Summary: Psychrotolerant B. cereus group strains show higher growth rates than mesophilic strains at low temperatures. The survival responses of the two strains, BCG(34) and BCG(T), at low temperatures differ, with BCG(T) inducing fatty acid biosynthesis and sulfur assimilation, while the mesophilic strain increases energy metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis to adapt to cold environments. The morphological and transcriptomic analyses help understand the growth responses of the B. cereus group at low temperatures and provide insights for bacterial inhibition strategies in the food industry.
Review
Microbiology
Theresa D. Ho, Craig D. Ellermeier
Summary: Clostridioides difficile is naturally resistant to lysozyme and encodes both constitutive and inducible lysozyme resistance genes. The activity of sigma(V), controlled by an alternative sigma factor, is inhibited by the anti-sigma factor RsiV in the absence of lysozyme, but activated in the presence of lysozyme through a proteolytic cascade involving the degradation of RsiV.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Haibo Chen, Emilie Verplaetse, Tania Jauslin, Pierre Cosson, Leyla Slamti, Didier Lereclus
Summary: This study reveals that amoebas can phagocytose and digest vegetative Bacillus cells, prevent the formation of cysts, and promote spore germination and completion of their developmental cycle in their environment. The interaction between amoebas and Bacillus creates a virtuous circle where each protagonist helps the other to develop.
Article
Microbiology
Patrick Dawson, Johanna S. Salzer, Caroline A. Schrodt, Karl Feldmann, Cari B. Kolton, Jay E. Gee, Chung K. Marston, Christopher A. Gulvik, Mindy G. Elrod, Aaron Villarma, Rita M. Traxler, Maria E. Negron, Kate A. Hendricks, Heather Moulton-Meissner, Laura J. Rose, Paul Byers, Kathryn Taylor, Daphne Ware, Gary A. Balsamo, Theresa Sokol, Bret Barrett, Erica Payne, Saad Zaheer, Ga On Jung, Stephen Long, Ricardo Quijano, Lindsey LeBouf, Briana O'Sullivan, Erin Swaney, James M. Antonini, Marie A. de Perio, Zachary Weiner, William A. Bower, Alex R. Hoffmaster
Summary: Investigations of two cases of welder's anthrax found that the clinical isolates from one patient matched bacterial strains recovered from their work-related clothing and gear, as well as the worksite soil. All welder's anthrax cases should be investigated to determine the source of exposure.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Fatih Buyuk, Ozgur Celebi, Mustafa Reha Coskun, Mitat Sahin
Summary: Genes, the biological basis of heredity, can be transferred horizontally between microorganisms. This study analyzed some virulence genes in B. cereus group members isolated from soil and found evidence of HGT. Further research is needed to confirm the role of HGT in the emergence of new pathotypes among B. cereus group members.
KAFKAS UNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKULTESI DERGISI
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Cecile Boutonnet, Sebastien Lyonnais, Beatrice Alpha-Bazin, Jean Armengaud, Alice Chateau, Catherine Duport
Summary: The dynamics of SL2 and EA1 expression are key determinants of the surface properties of B. cereus AH187, and the S-layer may contribute to the survival of B. cereus in starvation conditions.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Li-Wu Cheng, Omkar Vijay Byadgi, Chin-En Tsai, Pei-Chi Wang, Shih-Chu Chen
Summary: Chinese softshell turtles are economically important aquaculture species commercially farmed in Asia, especially in Taiwan. The Bacillus cereus group (Bcg) strains pose a major threat to these farming systems, but limited information is available regarding their pathogenicity and genome. This study investigated the pathogenicity of Bcg strains isolated from the turtles and performed whole-genome sequencing. The results revealed a new genospecies, named Bacillus shihchuchen, and identified antibiotic resistance and anthrax toxin genes in one of the strains, QF108-045.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)