Habitat
So you have heard a little bit about the horrifying effects of Bacillus cereus, and might be wondering where it is found. We are just in luck! It turns out that poisonings by Bacillus cereus has no specific geographic distribution, the only exception being it lives on land! Plus, it occurs year-round! Okay, I wouldn't call that being in good luck. Basically, there is no hiding from it.
yes...Bacillus cereus technically has cultivated the entire world!
But there has to be some limitations where it's growing, right? Kind of.
Bacillus cereus can often be found in soils
where there is vegetation growth. Also, it is often found in many foods such
as meat, milk, fish, cheeses, vegetables, and rice products. Now, like any
other organism, Bacillus cereus does
have optimum growth conditions:
- Ph: 4.3-9.3
- Temperature: 28-35 degrees Celsius
- Oxygen is required due to being aerobic
- Sediment
- Several food products acting as hosts
These are optimal growth ranges for Bacillus
cereus, not all the possible ranges. The ability of
Bacillus cereus to inhabit such a variety of
habitats is due to its unbelievably advanced
adaptations; it has even been found to grow at a healthy rate in temperatures as low as 5 degrees
Celsius. Bacillus
cereus has also been found at temperatures as high as 60-75
degrees Celsius (for us Americans, that is upwards of 167 degrees
Fahrenheit!).
Often times Bacillus cereus can be found in organisms acting as
hosts, more often than not in the gut of that host. These organisms include humans,
chickens, insects, and more! To learn more about these interactions go to
the interactions page!
Want to know some more about other species that utilize the sediment? Try
the
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab! Want to check out another food-dwelling bacteria?
Take a look at
salmonella!
Still hooked on Bacillus cereus!? For the purpose of survival Bacillus cereus has evolved some pretty cool adaptations! To read about them, take a look at the adaptations page!