Emetic toxin producing Bacillus cereus Korean isolates contain genes encoding diarrheal-related enterotoxins.
Bacillus cereus can cause the diarrheal and emetic type of food poisoning but the symptoms of emetic food poisoning caused by B. cereus occasionally include emesis and diarrhea. The enterotoxin characteristics of emetic toxin (cereulide) producing B. cereus were needed to be determined. Therefore, forty B. cereus strains isolated from various sources in Korea were investigated for the presence of enterotoxin genes. All strains were confirmed to produce the emetic toxin using HPLC-MS methods. The rates of the nheABC, hblCDA, entFM and cytK genes amongst emetic toxin producing B. cereus strains were 82.5, 7.5, 50.0 and 27.5%, respectively. Pattern III harbored nheABC and entFM genes and pattern V processed entFM gene and were shown to be the major patterns, being present in 55.0% (21 of 40) of the emetic toxin producing B. cereus strains. Our findings revealed that 34 (85.0%) of 40 emetic toxin producing B. cereus strains isolated in Korea have the potential to cause diarrheal and emetic type of food poisoning, simultaneously. Thus, emetic toxin and enterotoxin genes should be constantly screened to provide insight into B. cereus food poisoning.
Kim
Jung-Beom
JB
Division of Health Research and Planning, Gyeonggi-do Research Institute of Health and Environment, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-290, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Jai-Moung
JM
Kim
Cheon-Hyeon
CH
Seo
Kyu Seok
KS
Park
Yong-Bae
YB
Choi
Na-Jung
NJ
Oh
Deog-Hwan
DH
D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D004639:Emetics / Q000032:analysis; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D007723:Korea
D004639:Emetics; D004768:Enterotoxins