The Relationship Among Cell Membrane Fatty Acids, Emetic Toxin Production, and Cytotoxicity in Bacillus Cereus

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation among cell membrane fatty acids, emetic toxin production, and cytotoxicity in Bacillus cereus. B. cereus was used as a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent for anthrax. Four B. cereus strains were selected (F4810/72, NC7401, Arnold and ATCC 14579) because the strains phenotypic differences with regards to emetic toxin production. Analyses of B. cereus growth were performed using optical density readings. Samples were harvested at early and late stationary growth phase and centrifuged. The culture filtrate was partially purified for the emetic toxin cereulide. The cell pellet was washed with deionized H20 and kept for gas chromatography/mass spectral scans (GCMS). In vitro MTT and mitochondria permeability assays were employed to determine emetic toxin concentration and cytotoxicity. GCMS scans were performed on the cell pellet using a programmed method to determine differences in fatty acid composition.