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17.11.2020 - Foods
Bacillus cereus in food
On 30.10.20, the BfR (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) published an updated statement (No. 048/2020) on Bacillus cereus. It primarily addresses the significance or risk assessment of Bacillus cereus and bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group as triggers of gastrointestinal diseases.
The toxins of these microorganisms can cause diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Two types of diseases are distinguished here: the emetic form, which is mainly characterized by vomiting, and the diarrheal type, which is associated with diarrhea. These gastrointestinal diseases can affect people of all ages, but they are not contagious and rarely last longer than 24 hours. A severe course of illness is rather rare.
In the statement, the BfR concludes, among other things, that "each B. cereus (s.l.) strain should be assumed to be a potential enterotoxin producer, although the types and amounts of toxins formed may differ. It is therefore possible that the consumption of foods containing very high levels of B. cereus (s.l.) (from 10^5 colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g)) or B. cytotoxicus (from 10^4 CFU/g) can trigger diarrheal diseases in humans within a short time." (Updated BfR statement No. 048/2020 from October 30, 2020).
What is meant by bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group?
The Bacillus cereus is the eponymous representative of the so-called B. cereus group. This group currently includes 17 recognized, closely related species that can only be distinguished from each other through very elaborate laboratory tests. These include species described up to 2016: B. cereus (sensu stricto (s.s.)), B. thuringiensis, B. cytotoxicus, B. toyonensis, B. wiedmannii, B. anthracis, B. mycoides, and B. pseudomycoides. Additionally, nine more species were described by Liu et al. (2017): B. paranthracis, B. pacificus, B. tropicus, B. albus, B. mobilis, B. luti, B. proteolyticus, B. nitratireducens, and B. paramycoides.
The new species can so far only be differentiated from each other and from the established species of the B. cereus group by whole-genome sequencing methods. Beyond the actual species descriptions, there is hardly any data on these new representatives.
In our laboratory, we regularly conduct examinations for presumptive B. cereus and other pathogenic microorganisms. We provide you with fast and reliable results.
For questions, our customer service representatives are at your disposal.
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Source: BfR statement (No. 048/2020) by BfR