Resumo

PEREZ PORTUONDO, Irasema. Bacillus cereus and food poisoning. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2012, vol.38, n.1, pp. 98-108. ISSN 0864-3466.

Introduction: Gram positive bacterium Bacillus cereus is widely distributed in the environment. This bacterium is responsible for two food poisoning syndromes (emetic and diarrheal) and also it has been related to other diseases such as endocarditis and endophthalmitis; therefore it is recognized as opportunist pathogen. Objective: to review the information about Bacillus cereus toxins and its connection with food poisoning, as well as to address others factors influencing this bacterium's virulence. Data sources: for collecting this information, search engines such as Google and Scirus. Reviewed articles included research articles, systematic reviews on this topic and free accessed book chapters, or requested from the authors. Data synthesis: the review delved into Knowledge on diarrheal and emetic toxins, clinical symptomatology and time of occurrence, as soon as foodstuffs involved in each syndrome. This helps the clinician to look for the causes of toxin infections. A general overview of Bacillus cereus microbiology and others factors that explain its virulence and other implications in the human health was given. Conclusions: the acquired knowledge shows that Bacillus cereus is one bacterium with clinical importance rather than a mere environmental pollutant.

Palavras-chave : Bacillus cereus; food poisoning; cereulide; enterotoxin; toxins.

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