scholarly journals Pathogenomic Sequence Analysis of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis Isolates Closely Related to Bacillus anthracis

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (9) ◽  
pp. 3382-3390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cliff S. Han ◽  
Gary Xie ◽  
Jean F. Challacombe ◽  
Michael R. Altherr ◽  
Smriti S. Bhotika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Fragment Length Polymorphism ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Environmental Isolates ◽  
Spore Forming Bacteria ◽  
Unique Genes

ABSTRACT Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus thuringiensis are closely related gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria of the B. cereus sensu lato group. While independently derived strains of B. anthracis reveal conspicuous sequence homogeneity, environmental isolates of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis exhibit extensive genetic diversity. Here we report the sequencing and comparative analysis of the genomes of two members of the B. cereus group, B. thuringiensis 97-27 subsp. konkukian serotype H34, isolated from a necrotic human wound, and B. cereus E33L, which was isolated from a swab of a zebra carcass in Namibia. These two strains, when analyzed by amplified fragment length polymorphism within a collection of over 300 of B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, and B. anthracis isolates, appear closely related to B. anthracis. The B. cereus E33L isolate appears to be the nearest relative to B. anthracis identified thus far. Whole-genome sequencing of B. thuringiensis 97-27and B. cereus E33L was undertaken to identify shared and unique genes among these isolates in comparison to the genomes of pathogenic strains B. anthracis Ames and B. cereus G9241 and nonpathogenic strains B. cereus ATCC 10987 and B. cereus ATCC 14579. Comparison of these genomes revealed differences in terms of virulence, metabolic competence, structural components, and regulatory mechanisms.

scholarly journals Fluorescent Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis of Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus thuringiensis Isolates

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 1068-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen K. Hill ◽  
Lawrence O. Ticknor ◽  
Richard T. Okinaka ◽  
Michelle Asay ◽  
Heather Blair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Length Polymorphism ◽  
Fragment Length ◽  
Fragment Length Polymorphism ◽  
Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Polymorphism Analysis ◽  
Aflp Data

ABSTRACT DNA from over 300 Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus anthracis isolates was analyzed by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). B. thuringiensis and B. cereus isolates were from diverse sources and locations, including soil, clinical isolates and food products causing diarrheal and emetic outbreaks, and type strains from the American Type Culture Collection, and over 200 B. thuringiensis isolates representing 36 serovars or subspecies were from the U.S. Department of Agriculture collection. Twenty-four diverse B. anthracis isolates were also included. Phylogenetic analysis of AFLP data revealed extensive diversity within B. thuringiensis and B. cereus compared to the monomorphic nature of B. anthracis. All of the B. anthracis strains were more closely related to each other than to any other Bacillus isolate, while B. cereus and B. thuringiensis strains populated the entire tree. Ten distinct branches were defined, with many branches containing both B. cereus and B. thuringiensis isolates. A single branch contained all the B. anthracis isolates plus an unusual B. thuringiensis isolate that is pathogenic in mice. In contrast, B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (ATCC 33679) and other isolates used to prepare insecticides mapped distal to the B. anthracis isolates. The interspersion of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis isolates within the phylogenetic tree suggests that phenotypic traits used to distinguish between these two species do not reflect the genomic content of the different isolates and that horizontal gene transfer plays an important role in establishing the phenotype of each of these microbes. B. thuringiensis isolates of a particular subspecies tended to cluster together.

scholarly journals Pathogenomic Sequence Analysis of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis Isolates Closely Related to Bacillus anthracis

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (21) ◽  
pp. 7711-7711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cliff S. Han ◽  
Gary Xie ◽  
Jean F. Challacombe ◽  
Michael R. Altherr ◽  
Smriti S. Bhotika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis

Biology and taxonomy ofBacillus cereus,Bacillus anthracis, andBacillus thuringiensis

2007 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 673-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.T. Vilas-Bôas ◽  
A.P.S. Peruca ◽  
O.M.N. Arantes
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Population Genetics ◽  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus Group ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Biological Control Of Insects ◽  
Genomic Studies ◽  
Ofbacillus Cereus

Three species of the Bacillus cereus group (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus anthracis , and Bacillus thuringiensis ) have a marked impact on human activity. Bacillus cereus and B. anthracis are important pathogens of mammals, including humans, and B. thuringiensis is extensively used in the biological control of insects. The microbiological, biochemical, and genetic characteristics of these three species are reviewed, together with a discussion of several genomic studies conducted on strains of B. cereus group. Using bacterial systematic concepts, we speculate that to understand the taxonomic relationship within this group of bacteria, special attention should be devoted also to the ecology and the population genetics of these species.

scholarly journals Differentiation of Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis on the Basis of thecsaBGene Reflects Host Source

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (12) ◽  
pp. 3860-3863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinshui Zheng ◽  
Donghai Peng ◽  
Xiaoling Song ◽  
Lifang Ruan ◽  
Jacques Mahillon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Gene Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group I ◽  
Related Group ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Group Ii

ABSTRACTcsaBgene analysis clustered 198 strains ofBacillus anthracis,Bacillus cereus, andBacillus thuringiensisinto two groups related to mammalian and insect hosts, respectively. Mammal-related group I strains also have more S-layer homology (SLH) protein genes than group II strains. This indicates thatcsaB-based differentiation reflects selective pressure from animal hosts.

Siderophores of Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus thuringiensis

2006 ◽  
Vol 348 (1) ◽  
pp. 320-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa K. Wilson ◽  
Rebecca J. Abergel ◽  
Kenneth N. Raymond ◽  
Jean E.L. Arceneaux ◽  
B. Rowe Byers
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis

A Selective Chromogenic Agar That Distinguishes Bacillus anthracis from Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis

2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 2002-2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARGARET A. JUERGENSMEYER ◽  
BRUCE A. GINGRAS ◽  
LAWRENCE RESTAINO ◽  
ELON W. FRAMPTON
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Bacillus Species ◽  
Differential Rate ◽  
Chromogenic Substrate ◽  
Bacillus Cereus Group ◽  
Chromogenic Agar ◽  
Choline Phosphate ◽  
Group B

A selective and differential plating medium, R & F anthracis chromogenic agar (ACA), has been developed for isolating and identifying presumptive colonies of Bacillus anthracis. ACA contains the chromogenic substrate 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoxyl-choline phosphate that upon hydrolysis yields teal (blue green) colonies indicating the presence of phosphatidylcholinespecific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) activity. Among seven Bacillus species tested on ACA, only members of the Bacillus cereus group (B. anthracis, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis) produced teal colonies (PC-PLC positive) having cream rings. Examination of colony morphology in 18 pure culture strains of B. anthracis (15 ATCC strains plus AMES-1-RIID, ANR-1, and AMED-RIID), with one exception, required 48 h at 35 to 37°C for significant color production, whereas only 24 h was required for B. cereus and B. thuringiensis. This differential rate of PC-PLC synthesis in B. anthracis (due to the truncated plcR gene and PlcR regulator in B. anthracis) allowed for the rapid differentiation on ACA of presumptive colonies of B. anthracis from B. cereus and B. thuringiensis in both pure and mixed cultures. Effective recovery of B. anthracis from a variety of matrices having both high (soil and sewage) and low microbial backgrounds (cloth, paper, and blood) spiked with B. anthracis ANR-1 spores suggests the probable utility of ACA plating for B. anthracis recovery in a diversity of applications.

scholarly journals Orthologues ofBacillus subtilisSpore Crust Proteins Have a Structural Role in theBacillus megateriumQM B1551 Spore Exosporium

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Manetsberger ◽  
Abhinaba Ghosh ◽  
Elizabeth A. H. Hall ◽  
Graham Christie
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Megaterium ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Basal Layer ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indigenous Plasmids ◽  
Crust Layer ◽  
Air Water Interface ◽  
Spore Forming Bacteria

ABSTRACTThe exosporium ofBacillus megateriumQM B1551 spores is morphologically distinct from exosporia observed for the spores of many other species. Previous work has demonstrated that unidentified genes carried on one of the large indigenous plasmids are required for the assembly of theBacillus megateriumexosporium. Here, we provide evidence that pBM600-encoded orthologues of theBacillus subtilisCotW and CotX proteins, which form the crust layer in spores of that species, are structural components of theBacillus megateriumQM B1551 spore exosporium. The introduction of plasmid-bornecotWand orthologouscotXgenes to the PV361 strain, which lacks all indigenous plasmids and produces spores that are devoid of an exosporium, results in the development of spores with a rudimentary exosporium-type structure. Additionally, purified recombinant CotW protein is shown to assemble at the air-water interface to form thin sheets of material, which is consistent with the idea that this protein may form a basal layer in theBacillus megateriumQM B1551 exosporium.IMPORTANCEWhen starved of nutrients, some bacterial species develop metabolically dormant spores that can persist in a viable state in the environment for several years. The outermost layers of spores are of particular interest since (i) these represent the primary site for interaction with the environment and (ii) the protein constituents may have biotechnological applications. The outermost layer, or exosporium, inBacillus megateriumQM B1551 spores is of interest, as it is morphologically distinct from the exosporia of spores of the pathogenicBacillus cereusfamily. In this work, we provide evidence that structurally important protein constituents of theBacillus megateriumexosporium are different from those in theBacillus cereusfamily. We also show that one of these proteins, when purified, can assemble to form sheets of exosporium-like material. This is significant, as it indicates that spore-forming bacteria employ different proteins and mechanisms of assembly to construct their external layers.

scholarly journals Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus thuringiensis—One Species on the Basis of Genetic Evidence

2000 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 2627-2630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlendur Helgason ◽  
Ole Andreas Økstad ◽  
Dominique A. Caugant ◽  
Henning A. Johansen ◽  
Agnes Fouet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Food Poisoning ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Enzyme Electrophoresis ◽  
Intracellular Protein ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Chromosomal Genes ◽  
Biological Pesticide

ABSTRACT Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, andBacillus thuringiensis are members of the Bacillus cereus group of bacteria, demonstrating widely different phenotypes and pathological effects. B. anthracis causes the acute fatal disease anthrax and is a potential biological weapon due to its high toxicity. B. thuringiensis produces intracellular protein crystals toxic to a wide number of insect larvae and is the most commonly used biological pesticide worldwide. B. cereus is a probably ubiquitous soil bacterium and an opportunistic pathogen that is a common cause of food poisoning. In contrast to the differences in phenotypes, we show by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and by sequence analysis of nine chromosomal genes thatB. anthracis should be considered a lineage of B. cereus. This determination is not only a formal matter of taxonomy but may also have consequences with respect to virulence and the potential of horizontal gene transfer within the B. cereus group.

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