Antequera-Gómez, María LuisaDíaz-Martínez, LuisGuadix, Juan AntonioSánchez-Tévar, Ana MaríaSopeña-Torres, SaraHierrezuelo, JesúsDoan, Hung K.Leveau, Johan H. J.deVicente, AntonioRomero, Diego2022-08-232022-08-232021-05-06Antequera-Gómez ML, Díaz-Martínez L, Guadix JA, Sánchez-Tévar AM, Sopeña-Torres S, Hierrezuelo J, et al. Sporulation is dispensable for the vegetable-associated life cycle of the human pathogen Bacillus cereus. Microb Biotechnol. 2021 Jul;14(4):1550-1565http://hdl.handle.net/10668/3933Bacillus cereus is a common food-borne pathogen that is responsible for important outbreaks of food poisoning in humans. Diseases caused by B. cereus usually exhibit two major symptoms, emetic or diarrheic, depending on the toxins produced. It is assumed that after the ingestion of contaminated vegetables or processed food, spores of enterotoxigenic B. cereus reach the intestine, where they germinate and produce the enterotoxins that are responsible for food poisoning. In our study, we observed that sporulation is required for the survival of B. cereus in leaves but is dispensable in ready-to-eat vegetables, such as endives. We demonstrate that vegetative cells of B. cereus that are originally impaired in sporulation but not biofilm formation are able to reach the intestine and cause severe disorders in a murine model. Furthermore, our findings emphasise that the number of food poisoning cases associated with B. cereus is underestimated and suggest the need to revise the detection protocols, which are based primarily on spores and toxins.enAtribución 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Bacillus cereusEmeticsEnterotoxinsSporesFood poisoningEméticosEnterotoxinasEsporasEnfermedades transmitidas por los alimentosMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::AnimalsMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Biological Factors::Toxins, Biological::EnterotoxinsMedical Subject Headings::Disciplines and Occupations::Natural Science Disciplines::Biological Science Disciplines::Biology::Microbiology::Environmental Microbiology::Food MicrobiologyMedical Subject Headings::Phenomena and Processes::Physiological Phenomena::Physiological Processes::Growth and Development::Morphogenesis::Metamorphosis, Biological::Life Cycle StagesMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Rodentia::Muridae::Murinae::MiceMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Plants::Plants, Edible::VegetablesMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Bacteria::Endospore-Forming Bacteria::Gram-Positive Endospore-Forming Bacteria::Gram-Positive Endospore-Forming Rods::Bacillaceae::Bacillus::Bacillus cereusMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Chemically-Induced Disorders::Poisoning::Foodborne DiseasesMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Primates::Haplorhini::Catarrhini::Hominidae::HumansMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Chemical Actions and Uses::Pharmacologic Actions::Physiological Effects of Drugs::EmeticsMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Animal Diseases::Disease Models, AnimalMedical Subject Headings::Health Care::Environment and Public Health::Public Health::Disease OutbreaksMedical Subject Headings::Anatomy::Digestive System::Gastrointestinal Tract::IntestinesMedical Subject Headings::Anatomy::Plant Structures::Plant Components, Aerial::Plant LeavesMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Organism Forms::Sporesresearch article33955675Acceso abierto10.1111/1751-7915.138161751-7915PMC8313275