Bacillus cereus

Characteristics
 Gram - Positive Symptoms
 Shape – Bacillus, in chains
 Motility – None o Food poisoning
 Oxygen Requirements - o Emetic form
Facultative anaerobe o Caused by the ingestion of preformed toxin-
 Oxidase – Negative containing food
 Catalase – Positive o Incubation time is 1-6 hours
 Hemolysis – Beta o Causes nausea and vomiting
 Forms endospores o Diarrheal Form
 Oxygen required o Caused by ingestion of spores
o Causes a non-inflammatory, watery diarrhea induced
 Virulence Factors
by the secreted enterotoxins
 Cereulide Peptide Toxin
 Heat-stable and acid stable
 Acts as enterotoxin inducing watery Diagnosis
diarrhea  Culture and biochemical tests
Epidemiology
and Risk Groups
Treatment
 Worldwide
 Supportive
Transmission  Reheat food to the correct CDC recommended
temperatures
 Ingestion of endospores or pre-formed toxins  Since this disease is mostly caused by toxins,
 Highly associated with reheated rice antibiotics are often not helpful