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The Food Poisoning Toxins of Bacillus cereus

Authors :
Richard Dietrich
Nadja Jessberger
Monika Ehling-Schulz
Erwin Märtlbauer
Per Einar Granum
Source :
Toxins, Vol 13, Iss 2, p 98 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

Bacillus cereus is a ubiquitous soil bacterium responsible for two types of food-associated gastrointestinal diseases. While the emetic type, a food intoxication, manifests in nausea and vomiting, food infections with enteropathogenic strains cause diarrhea and abdominal pain. Causative toxins are the cyclic dodecadepsipeptide cereulide, and the proteinaceous enterotoxins hemolysin BL (Hbl), nonhemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe) and cytotoxin K (CytK), respectively. This review covers the current knowledge on distribution and genetic organization of the toxin genes, as well as mechanisms of enterotoxin gene regulation and toxin secretion. In this context, the exceptionally high variability of toxin production between single strains is highlighted. In addition, the mode of action of the pore-forming enterotoxins and their effect on target cells is described in detail. The main focus of this review are the two tripartite enterotoxin complexes Hbl and Nhe, but the latest findings on cereulide and CytK are also presented, as well as methods for toxin detection, and the contribution of further putative virulence factors to the diarrheal disease.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20726651
Volume :
13
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Toxins
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.4d772b08bff74c88809899fc33cc7021
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020098