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
Chemistry, Analytical
Salvatore Almaviva, Antonio Palucci, Eleonora Aruffo, Alessandro Rufoloni, Antonia Lai
Summary: This work successfully detected and identified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cells using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), with a functionalized SERS chip to remove unwanted contaminants. Different chemometric approaches were applied to classify spectra accurately, with the last method being suitable for an automated recognition procedure.
Review
Microbiology
Pauline Hinnekens, Nancy Fayad, Annika Gillis, Jacques Mahillon
Summary: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a significant role in shaping bacterial communities through conjugation-like events and transmissible plasmids. Bacillus cereus and related species possess numerous plasmids, including conjugative plasmids, which contribute to species differentiation. Although previous studies have reported conjugative plasmids in B. cereus isolates, in silico analyses suggest that there may be more self-transferable plasmids in B. cereus genomes. Laboratory conditions used for studying conjugation-related mechanisms are limited compared to natural environments. Considering the importance of B. cereus strains in health, economy, and ecology, it is crucial to understand the impact of conjugation within this bacterial group.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Nay El-Khoury, Imene Bennaceur, Emilie Verplaetse, Stephane Aymerich, Didier Lereclus, Mireille Kallassy, Michel Gohar
Summary: During biofilm growth, dynamic exchanges occur between planktonic and sessile cells. The planktonic population grows until the biofilm forms, then rapidly decreases to zero, while recruited planktonic cells are found in specific areas with low sessile cell density within the biofilm, indicating spatial heterogeneity.
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
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
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
Food Science & Technology
Arnaud Fichant, Arnaud Felten, Armel Gallet, Olivier Firmesse, Mathilde Bonis
Summary: This article highlights the importance of Bacillus thuringiensis in food safety and the development of new molecular markers for detection and discrimination of different Bt subtypes through a genome-wide association study.
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
Virology
Audrey Leprince, Manon Nuytten, Elise July, Coralie Tesseur, Jacques Mahillon
Summary: This study provides functional characterization of the holins encoded by phages targeting the Bacillus cereus group. The findings reveal the important role of holins in bacterial lysis and demonstrate the versatile mechanisms used by these phages.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Michael Biggel, Danai Etter, Sabrina Corti, Peter Brodmann, Roger Stephan, Monika Ehling-Schulz, Sophia Johler
Summary: This study analyzed the whole-genome sequences of Bacillus thuringiensis isolates from biopesticides, food, and human fecal samples related to outbreaks. The isolates from food and outbreaks were found to be genomically matched with one of six biopesticide strains, indicating the biopesticide products as their source. The study also revealed a more diverse virulence gene profile in the biopesticide strains. Furthermore, high-quality genome assemblies of seven widely used B. thuringiensis biopesticide strains were provided, which will aid in microbial source tracking and risk assessment of B. thuringiensis-based biopesticides in the future.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
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)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Huan Zhou, Junhui Zhang, Yanna Shao, Juan Wang, Wenxing Xu, Yang Liu, Shubo Yu, Qinghua Ye, Rui Pang, Shi Wu, Qihui Gu, Liang Xue, Jumei Zhang, Hongye Li, Qingping Wu, Yu Ding
Summary: The study developed a rapid identification method based on nucleotide and genome analysis, successfully distinguishing Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. By using the core molecular target ispD, a high-resolution melting method was developed. This method has high sensitivity and specificity in detection.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Virology
Louise Hock, Annika Gillis, Jacques Mahillon
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2018)
Article
Virology
Evelien M. Adriaenssens, Johannes Wittmann, Jens H. Kuhn, Dann Turner, Matthew B. Sullivan, Bas E. Dutilh, Ho Bin Jang, Leonardo J. van Zyl, Jochen Klumpp, Malgorzata Lobocka, Andrea I. Moreno Switt, Janis Rumnieks, Robert A. Edwards, Jumpei Uchiyama, Poliane Alfenas-Zerbini, Nicola K. Petty, Andrew M. Kropinski, Jakub Barylski, Annika Gillis, Martha R. C. Clokie, David Prangishvili, Rob Lavigne, Ramy Karam Aziz, Siobain Duffy, Mart Krupovic, Minna M. Poranen, Petar Knezevic, Francois Enault, Yigang Tong, Hanna M. Oksanen, J. Rodney Brister
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cecile Feuillie, Claire Valotteau, Lionel Makart, Annika Gillis, Jacques Mahillon, Yves F. Dufrene
Review
Microbiology
Simon Caulier, Catherine Nannan, Annika Gillis, Florent Licciardi, Claude Bragard, Jacques Mahillon
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jakub Barylski, Francois Enault, Bas E. Dutilh, Margo B. P. Schuller, Robert A. Edwards, Annika Gillis, Jochen Klumpp, Petar Knezevic, Mart Krupovic, Jens H. Kuhn, Rob Lavigne, Hanna M. Oksanen, Matthew B. Sullivan, Ho Bin Jang, Peter Simmonds, Pakorn Aiewsakun, Johannes Wittmann, Igor Tolstoy, J. Rodney Brister, Andrew M. Kropinski, Evelien M. Adriaenssens
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Virology
Gustavo Romay, Francis Geraud-Pouey, Dorys T. Chirinos, Mathieu Mahillon, Annika Gillis, Jacques Mahillon, Claude Bragard
Article
Food Science & Technology
Louise Hock, Audrey Leprince, Mathilde Tournay, Annika Gillis, Jacques Mahillon
Article
Virology
Evelien M. Adriaenssens, Matthew B. Sullivan, Petar Knezevic, Leonardo J. van Zyl, B. L. Sarkar, Bas E. Dutilh, Poliane Alfenas-Zerbini, Malgorzata Lobocka, Yigang Tong, James Rodney Brister, Andrea I. Switt, Jochen Klumpp, Ramy Karam Aziz, Jakub Barylski, Jumpei Uchiyama, Rob A. Edwards, Andrew M. Kropinski, Nicola K. Petty, Martha R. J. Clokie, Alla I. Kushkina, Vera V. Morozova, Siobain Duffy, Annika Gillis, Janis Rumnieks, Ipek Kurtboke, Nina Chanishvili, Lawrence Goodridge, Johannes Wittmann, Rob Lavigne, Ho Bin Jang, David Prangishvili, Francois Enault, Dann Turner, Minna M. Poranen, Hanna M. Oksanen, Mart Krupovic
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Virology
Audrey Leprince, Manon Nuytten, Annika Gillis, Jacques Mahillon
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Catherine Nannan, Huong Quynh Vu, Annika Gillis, Simon Caulier, Thuy Thanh Thi Nguyen, Jacques Mahillon
Summary: The study revealed that multiple species within the Bacillus subtilis group possess the gene cluster for producing the antimicrobial peptide bacilysin, with B. velezensis exhibiting strong inhibitory activity against Gram-negative pathogens.
JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Jeanine Rismondo, Annika Gillis, Angelika Grundling
Summary: This article provides a brief overview of the functions and complexity of secondary cell wall polymers in Gram-positive bacteria, focusing on the biosynthesis pathways of teichoic acid and complex polysaccharides, as well as the recent glycosylation mechanism.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Annika Gillis, Louise Hock, Jacques Mahillon
Summary: Novel tectiviruses Sato and Sole, infecting diverse strains of Bacillus cereus lineage, were reported and analyzed for their complete genome sequences. These phages, classified within the genus Betatectivirus, exhibit a more diverse gene regulation-genome replication module compared to other betatectiviruses.
Review
Microbiology
Annika Gillis, Nancy Fayad, Lionel Makart, Alexander Bolotin, Alexei Sorokin, Mireille Kallassy, Jacques Mahillon
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2018)
Article
Virology
Gustavo Romay, Dorys T. Chirinos, Francis Geraud-Pouey, Annika Gillis, Jacques Mahillon, Claude Bragard
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2018)
Article
Catherine Nannan, Annika Gillis, Simon Caulier, Jacques Mahillon
GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2018)
