Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology

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pISSN 2288-0585 eISSN 2288-6850
Case report

A Case of Emetic Toxin Producing Bacillus cereus Strains Isolated from Outbreak

Jong Hyun Kim1, Eun Gyoung Lim2, Hyun Chul Jang1, Ju Young Park2, Sun Jin Lee1, Mi Sun Park1, Gil Bae Choi2, Bok Kwon Lee1

1Division of Enteric Bacterial Infections, Center for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Seoul, 2Microbe Division, Ulsan Institute of Health and Environment, Ulsan, Korea

Corresponding to Bok Kwon Lee, E-mail: bokrates@nih.go.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(1):48-52.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

Bacillus cereus causes two types of gastrointestinal diseases: emesis and diarrhea. It produces one emetic toxin and nine different enterotoxins. In March 2008, eight of a family became sick after eating slices of raw fish. We isolated emetic toxin producing B. cereus from the stools of 6 patients and 2 subclincal humans. In this study, the presence of enterotoxin genes, such as those of haemolysin BL (Hbl), nonhemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe), B. cereus enterotoxin T (BceT), enterotoxin FM (EntFM), cytotoxin K (cytK) and cereulide were assayed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Their enterotoxin activities were assayed using the BCET- RPLA, Tecra ELISA kit and Hep-2 vacuole activity. Bacterial isolates were subtyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). This study demonstrates the emetic toxin-producing stains of B. cereus in clinical specimens, for the first time in the Republic of Korea. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2009;12:48-52)

Keywords

Emetic toxin, Cereulide, B. cereus