Farina, D.; Bianco, A.; Manzulli, V.; Castellana, S.; Parisi, A.; Caruso, M.; Fraccalvieri, R.; Serrecchia, L.; Rondinone, V.; Pace, L.; Fasanella, A.; Vetritto, V.; Difato, L.M.; Cipolletta, D.; Iatarola, M.; Galante, D. Antimicrobial and Phylogenomic Characterization of Bacillus cereus Group Strains Isolated from Different Food Sources in Italy. Antibiotics2024, 13, 898.
Farina, D.; Bianco, A.; Manzulli, V.; Castellana, S.; Parisi, A.; Caruso, M.; Fraccalvieri, R.; Serrecchia, L.; Rondinone, V.; Pace, L.; Fasanella, A.; Vetritto, V.; Difato, L.M.; Cipolletta, D.; Iatarola, M.; Galante, D. Antimicrobial and Phylogenomic Characterization of Bacillus cereus Group Strains Isolated from Different Food Sources in Italy. Antibiotics 2024, 13, 898.
Farina, D.; Bianco, A.; Manzulli, V.; Castellana, S.; Parisi, A.; Caruso, M.; Fraccalvieri, R.; Serrecchia, L.; Rondinone, V.; Pace, L.; Fasanella, A.; Vetritto, V.; Difato, L.M.; Cipolletta, D.; Iatarola, M.; Galante, D. Antimicrobial and Phylogenomic Characterization of Bacillus cereus Group Strains Isolated from Different Food Sources in Italy. Antibiotics2024, 13, 898.
Farina, D.; Bianco, A.; Manzulli, V.; Castellana, S.; Parisi, A.; Caruso, M.; Fraccalvieri, R.; Serrecchia, L.; Rondinone, V.; Pace, L.; Fasanella, A.; Vetritto, V.; Difato, L.M.; Cipolletta, D.; Iatarola, M.; Galante, D. Antimicrobial and Phylogenomic Characterization of Bacillus cereus Group Strains Isolated from Different Food Sources in Italy. Antibiotics 2024, 13, 898.
Abstract
Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive bacterium widespread in the environment, especially in soil and dust. It produces two types of toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea. Nowadays, food borne outbreaks due to Bacillus cereus group bacteria (especially Bacillus cereus sensu stricto) are increased, as reported by European Food Safety Authority, representing a very huge problem in agri-food chain. In this work, we analyzed 118 strains belonging to Bacillus cereus group, isolated from several food sources (fruit and vegetables, dairy products, bakery products) concerning their susceptibility to antibiotics currently most used to treat infections. Many strains showing an intermediate susceptibility to clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline were detected, suggesting an evolving acquisition of resistance against these antibiotics. Moreover, one strain showed intermediate resistance to meropenem, another antibiotic currently used to treat infections caused by Bacillus cereus. Beside the antimicrobial characterization, all strains were studied comparing their antimicrobic phenotype with the presence/absence of antimicrobial genes in their genome. The analysis showed a not complete correlation between genes carried by the strains and their phenotype, demonstrating that the antibiotic resistance is due not only to genetic factors, but also to other factors such as the inappropriate use of antibiotics that can determine an acquired resistance for bacteria.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.