Bacillus Cereus

Bacillus cereus is a toxin-producing facultatively anaerobic gram-positive bacterium. The bacteria are commonly found in the environment and can contaminate food. It can quickly multiply at room temperature with an abundantly present preformed toxin. When ingested, this toxin can cause gastrointestinal illness, which is the commonly known manifestation of the disease. Gastrointestinal (GI) syndromes associated with B. cereus include diarrheal illness without significant upper intestinal symptoms and a predominantly upper GI syndrome with nausea and vomiting without diarrhea. B. cereus has also been implicated in infections of the eye, respiratory tract, and wounds. The pathogenicity of B. cereus, whether intestinal or nonintestinal, is intimately associated with the production of tissue-destructive exoenzymes. Among these secreted toxins are hemolysins, phospholipases, and proteases.