Bacillus cereus, a Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming rod-shaped bacterium, is widely distributed in nature. It is readily isolated from soil, dust, cereal crops, vegetation, animal hair, fresh water and sediments. Therefore, it is not surprising to find the organism associated with virtually every raw agricultural commodity.

The role of Bacillus cereus in food poisoning, particularly from the consumption of contaminated rice, is now well documented^1,2,3. The organism has also been implicated in eye infections^4,5 and a wide range of other conditions, including abscess formation, meningitis, septicemia, and wound infection.

• Easy-to-read: cleavage of the chromogenic substrate the enzyme ß-glucosidase present in Bacillus cereus results in the formation of blue/green colonies.
• Selective: a combination of Polymixin B and Trimethoprim make the medium selective for Bacillus cereus.

Brilliance Bacillus cereus Agar incorporates the chromogenic substrate 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-ß-glucopyranoside, which is cleaved by the enzyme ß-glucosidase present in Bacillus cereus resulting in the formation of blue/green colonies. Polymixin B inhibits most Gram-negative organisms and some Gram-positive organisms including some Bacillus other than Bacillus cereus. Trimethoprim, which is also added to the medium, blocks folic acid synthesis necessary for DNA production and is active against many Gram-positive bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp. and some non-cereus Bacillus species. The combination of these two antibiotics has been shown to be more effective than the use of polymyxin B alone³.

Because Bacillus thuringiensis is biochemically identical to Bacillus cereus, it will also grow as blue/green colonies on this medium. Bacillus thuringiensis is known primarily as an insect pathogen, but it has also been reported to have been linked to some human gastroenteritis outbreaks⁴.

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