Purification and Characterization of Bacillus Cereus Enterotoxin and its Application to Diagnosis

Abstract

Bacillus cereus is a large, gram-positive, spore-forming rod, and is aerobic or facultatively anaerobic. It is distributed widely in the environment including different kinds of foods and may cause food poisoning. Two types of B. cereus food poisoning are known;2 the diarrheal type with an incubation period of 8 to 16 hours and the vomiting type with an incubation period of 1 to 5 hours. The diarrheal type characterized by diarrhea and abdominal pain resembles Clostridium perfringens food poisoning. The vomiting type is characterized by nausea and vomiting and resembles staphylococcal enterotoxin food poisoning. The agents of diarrheal type and vomiting type are toxins designated as “diarrheal toxin” (or enterotoxin) and “emetic toxin, ” respectively. Diagnosis of B. cereus food poisoning by the detection of the toxin in clinical specimens or in incriminated foods has not been established.