Pathogenic potential of fifty Bacillus weihenstephanensis strains.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the food poisoning potential of strains of the new species in the Bacillus cereus group, B. weihenstephanensis. Fifty strains were tested for cytotoxicity in a Vero cell assay, and 23 of the strains were also tested for production of enterotoxin components with commercial antibody kits, and for presence of enterotoxin gene components by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The majority of the strains (72%) were not cytotoxic, although all of the strains that were tested with PCR and commercial kits had part of at least one of the B. cereus enterotoxins Hbl, Nhe or CytK.
Stenfors
Lotte P
LP
The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Department of Pharmacology, Microbiology and Food Hygiene, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033, Oslo, Norway.
Mayr
Ralf
R
Scherer
Siegfried
S
Granum
Per Einar
PE
D000818:Animals; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014709:Vero Cells
D004768:Enterotoxins; C040792:enterotoxin, Bacillus cereus