The Water Cycle, a Potential Source of the Bacterial PathogenBacillus cereus

Abstract

The behaviour of the sporulating soil-dwellingBacillus cereus sensu lato(B. cereus sl) which includes foodborne pathogenic strains has been extensively studied in relation to its various animal hosts. The aim of this environmental study was to investigate the water compartments (rain and soil water, as well as groundwater) closely linked to the primaryB. cereus slreservoir, for which available data are limited.B. cereus slwas present, primarily as spores, in all of the tested compartments of an agricultural site, including water from rain to groundwater through soil. During rain events, leachates collected after transfer through the soil eventually reached the groundwater and were loaded withB. cereus sl. In groundwater samples, newly introduced spores of aB. cereusmodel strain were able to germinate, and vegetative cells arising from this event were detected for up to 50 days. This firstB. cereus slinvestigation in the various types of interrelated environments suggests that the consideration of the aquatic compartment linked to soil and to climatic events should provide a better understanding ofB. cereus slecology and thus be relevant for a more accurate risk assessment of food poisoning caused byB. cereus slpathogenic strains.