Bacillus cereus may produce two or more diarrheal enterotoxins
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Date
1997Author
Jackson N, Ombui
Horst, Schmieger
Michael M, Kagiko
Sammel, M
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
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Bacillus cereus strains were tested for production of diarrheal enterotoxin by the reverse passive latex agglutination test and for presence of B. cereus enterotoxin gene (beeT) by polymerase chain reaction. About 50% of 56 B. cereus strains reacted positive in broth culture in the reverse passive latex agglutination test, while the beeT gene was detected in 41.1 %. Sixteen percent of the strains were positive for both diarrheal enterotoxin and bceT gene. A 741 bp probe prepared from the polymerase chain reaction product detected beeT gene in all strains that were positive with the polymerase chain reaction. This study indicates a likelihood of two or more enterotoxins being produced by B. cereus which may be involved in causing diarrheal type food poisoning.
Citation
FEMS Microbiology Letters 149 (1997) 245-248Publisher
Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi Institut fur Genetik und Mikrobiologie, Universitdt Miinchen. Maria Ward Str. l a, D-80638 Munich, Germany