Bacteria

Bacillus Cereus

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Bacillus Cereus

  • See Also
  1. Gram Positive Spore-Forming Rod
  2. Acute Gastroenteritis
  3. Food Poisoning
  • Epidemiology
  1. Incidence (U.S.): 63,000 cases with 20 hospitalizations and 0 deaths per year
  • Pathophysiology
  1. Bacillus Cereus is an aerobic, motile, Gram Positive Spore-Forming Rod
  2. Spores contaminate foods and are resistant to intial cooking
    1. Spores may be inactivated by high Temperatures or refrigeration
  3. Spores germinate in food and release Enterotoxins
  4. Enterotoxins are pre-formed toxins exerting disease on ingestion (without need of further B. cereus reproduction)
    1. Heat-Labile Toxin
      1. Results in Nausea, Abdominal Pain and Diarrhea lasting 12 to 24 hours
      2. Similar to C. Perfringens Enterotoxin, Cholera Enterotoxin, or E. coli labile toxin
    2. Heat-Stable Toxin
      1. Results in severe Nausea, Vomiting and more mild Diarrhea shortly after food ingestion
      2. Similar to Staphylococcus AureusFood Poisoning
  • Causes
  • Exposures
  1. Meats, stews and gravy
    1. Hamburger (45-63% infected)
    2. Luncheon Meats (15% infected)
  2. Rice
    1. Raw rice (100% infected)
    2. Fried rice
  3. Miscellaneous
    1. Vanilla sauce
  • Findings
  1. Acute Gastroenteritis (Food Poisoning)
  2. Nausea and Vomiting
  3. Diarrhea
  • Management
  1. Supportive Care
  2. Antibiotics are not indicated
    1. Illness is caused by pre-formed toxin
  • Resources
  1. Bacillus Cereus (StatPearls)
    1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459121/
  • References
  1. Gladwin, Trattler and Mahan (2014) Clinical Microbiology, Medmaster, Fl, p. 49-50
  2. Dietrich (2021) Toxins 13(2):98 +PMID: 33525722 [PubMed]
  3. Bottone (2010) Clin Microbiol Rev 23(2):382-98 +PMID: 20375358 [PubMed]