title: Impact of intestinal microbiota and gastrointestinal conditions on the in vitro survival and growth of Bacillus cereus.
abstract: Ingestion of B. cereus can result in diarrhea, if these bacteria survive gastrointestinal passage and achieve growth and enterotoxin production in the small intestine. The gastrointestinal survival of vegetative cells and spores of the diarrheal food poisoning strain B. cereus NVH 1230-88 was investigated during in vitro batch experiments simulating the stomach, duodenum and ileum using simulation media and competing intestinal microbiota. All spores and approx. 30% of the vegetative B. cereus cells survived the 2 h incubation in gastric medium with pH 4.0. Sterile intestinal medium induced germination of spores and enabled outgrowth of vegetative cells to approx. 7 log CFU/mL. The behavior of B. cereus in the intestinal environment with competing intestinal bacteria was determined by their relative concentrations. Besides the numbers of intestinal bacteria, the nutrition and composition of the intestinal community were also very important for the growth inhibition of B. cereus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation-LFMFP, Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Siele
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ceuppens
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Van de Wiele
authors.forename: Andreja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rajkovic
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ferrer-Cabaceran
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heyndrickx
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uyttendaele
mesh_terms: D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D004386:Duodenum / Q000382:microbiology*; D005506:Food Contamination; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007082:Ileum / Q000382:microbiology*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media