Bacteria
Bacillus cereus --> currently not allwoed to handle in the biolab as an appropriate desinfectant for sporulating bacteria is not available in the lab
Strain/Type
Bacillus cereus (Frankland and Frankland 1887):
DSM 31,
ATCC 14579,
CCM 2010,
LMG 6923,
NCBI 9373
NCTC 2599
Host tropism
Humans and animals.
Facultative human-pathogenic (it does not necessarily cause diseases in humans).
Only Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis is able to trigger disease.
Route of Transmission
Transmission takes place orally (by ingestion).
Other transmission routes and entry paths are possible in persons with weakened immune systems
(e.g. catheter, implants, endoscope).
Characteristics e.g. sensitizing or toxic effects, resistance to antibiotics
Sporulation:
Forms spores.
Toxigenicity/Toxin formation:
Bacillus cereus forms various emetic toxins (cereulides) which trigger nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps after a short time. Cereulides are heat and acid resistant. Bacillus cereus also forms a diarrhoea toxin which triggers watery diarrhoea after 8 - 16 hours. The diarrhoea toxin is heat and acid-sensitive. Food poisoning symptoms are self-limiting in most cases, and stop after no more than two days. Due to its close relation to Bacillus anthracis , one strain of Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (risk group 3) has taken over and expressed the virulence plasmids which code for the anthrax toxin and the envelope. Therefore, anthrax can also be caused by Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis, which has thus far been observed in animals only, but not in humans. Nonetheless, this finding represents bioterrorism competence of Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis.
Resistances:
Ramarao N, Belotti L, Deboscker S, Ennahar-Vuillemin M, de Launay J, Lavigne T, Koebel C, Escande
B, Guinebretière MH.: Two unrelated episodes of Bacillus cereus bacteremia in a neonatal intensive
care unit. Am J Infect Control. 2014 Jun;42(6):694-5.
Note T:
Toxin production: prokaryotes capable of forming exotoxins. The "T" tag lays no claim to completeness, however, i.e. exotoxin-forming strains may also arise in types of prokaryote without this tag. The "T" tag adopted over from Annex III of Directive 2000/54/EC.
Note TA:
Types of which strains are known which have been handled safely over many years in technical applications. These proven strains can therefore be assigned to risk group 1 according to the classification criteria. The "TA" tag lays no claim of completeness, however. Strains with the features of "TA" may therefore also arise in species not bearing this tag.
Approved as biological safety measure if taken as recipient organism for genetic engineering?
Genetically modified (GenTSV)
Risk group (BioStoffV)
2
Risk assessment
Risk accessment based on TRBA (Technical Rule for Biological Agents) 466 "Classification of prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) into risk groups": https://www.baua.de/DE/Angebote/Rechtstexte-und-Technische-Regeln/Regelwerk/TRBA/TRBA-466.html
Operation instructions (mandatory for RG2 and higher)
https://biostoffe.dguv.de/data?name=820806&lang=en
Occupational health care (according to ArbMedVV)
Optional health care:
In the case of tasks specifically involving contact and tasks involving incidental contact with exposure to toxic biological agents, the employer must offer an optional health care.
An optional health care must also be offered if as a result of the exposure to biological agents
- a serious infectious illness is to be expected and post-exposure prophylatic measures are possible, or
- an infection has resulted.
Storage location of aliquots in the Biolab (just click Bearbeiten in the right corner of the header to add or change information in the table and use the menue in the left header to e.g. add a row)
| source | bacterial strain | freezing date | amount of bacteria per vial | stock was produced on | no. of aliquots | belongs to (full name) | rack/box in N2 tank or -80°C freezer and location (room, address) | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Background
We have permission to work with this pathogen but it is currently not stored in our facilities. Contact Tatyana Povolotsky if you are interested in working with this organism.
