Pathogens
Bacillus spp.

Bacillus spp.

Precautions

Standard Precautions

General Information

Culture and susceptibility testing. 

Anaerobes such as Bacillus spp can be missed with routine culture if sample handling and anaerobic culture conditions are not optimal. However, this species tends to be fairly aerotolerant so routine anaerobe sample handling and culture practices should be reasonably effective. 

Cytological demonstration of spores is suggestive of Bacillus or a variety of other sporeforming anaerobes.

Large, gram-positive, endospore-producing anaerobic rods.

Bacillus spp are widely distributed in the environment and are mainly non-pathogenic. Their sporeforming nature facilitates longterm environmental survival.

Beyond Bacillus anthracis (the cause of anthrax) and B. cereus (a cause of food poisoning in humans with unknown relevance in animals), most species that cause disease are relatively minor opportunists. B. subtilis and B licheniformis are likely the most important opportunists.

Occasional infections such as wound infections can be encountered. Bacillus spp have been found as causes of hospital-associated infections from contamination of biocides with spores.

Most bacilli are susceptible to a variety of antibiotics and acquired resistance is rare. Penicillins, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, macrolides, tetracyclines and many cephalosporins should be effective.

B. cereus group (B. cereus, B, thuringensis) are typically resistant to penicillins, cephalosporins and potentiated sulfonamides, and often resistant to carbapenems. Susceptibility to aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, linezolid, and vancomycin is common. There is variable susceptibility to macrolides, clindamycin, and fluoroquinolones with anaerobic activity (e.g. pradofloxacin).