Bacillus cereus Count
Bacillus cereus Count
Bacillus cereus is a facultatively anaerobic, toxin-producing gram-positive bacterium that can be found in soil vegetation and even in food. It can cause two types of bowel disease, one causing diarrhea and the other causing nausea and vomiting.
Bacteria are commonly found in the environment, usually in soil and vegetation, and can be found in foods. It can multiply rapidly at room temperature. There are two main types of intestinal disease caused by B. cereus. It causes diarrhea and nausea/vomiting. B. cereus has also been associated with eye, respiratory tract infections, and wounds.
The pathogenicity of B. cereus is closely related to the production of intestinal or extraintestinal tissue-damaging exoenzymes. These secreted toxins include four hemolysins, three different phospholipases, a vomit-inducing toxin, and proteases.
B. cereus is associated with many foods – beef, turkey, rice, beans, vegetables. Specifically, diarrheal disease is usually related to meat, dairy, vegetables and fish. The emetic disease is most often associated with rice products, but has also been associated with other starchy products such as potatoes, macaroni and cheese products. Some food mixes (sauces, puddings, soups, stews, pastries, and salads) have been associated with foodborne illness in general.