Editing Bacillus cereus (section)

=== Prevention ===
While ''B.&nbsp;cereus'' vegetative cells are killed during normal cooking, spores are more resistant. Viable spores in food can become vegetative cells in the intestines and produce a range of diarrheal enterotoxins, so elimination of spores is desirable. In wet heat (poaching, simmering, boiling, braising, stewing, pot roasting, steaming), spores require more than 5 minutes at {{convert|121|C|F}} at the coldest spot to be destroyed. In dry heat (grilling, broiling, baking, roasting, searing, sautéing), {{convert|120|C|F}} for 1 hour kills all spores on the exposed surface.<ref name="bremer">{{cite journal | vauthors = Soni A, Oey I, Silcock P, Bremer P | title = Bacillus Spores in the Food Industry: A Review on Resistance and Response to Novel Inactivation Technologies | journal = Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety | volume = 15 | issue = 6 | pages = 1139–1148 | date = November 2016 | pmid = 33401831 | doi = 10.1111/1541-4337.12231 | doi-access = free }}</ref> This process of eliminating spores is very important, as spores of ''B. cereus'' are particularly resistant, even after pasteurization or exposure to gamma rays.<ref name="Whole-Genome Characterization of Ba"/>

''B.&nbsp;cereus'' and other members of ''Bacillus'' are not easily killed by alcohol; they have been known to colonize distilled liquors and alcohol-soaked swabs and pads in numbers sufficient to cause infection.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 March 2011 |title=Notes from the Field: Contamination of alcohol prep pads with ''Bacillus cereus'' group and ''Bacillus'' species — Colorado, 2010 | work = Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) | location = Atlanta, Georgia |url= https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6011a5.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701030750/https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6011a5.htm |archive-date=1 July 2018 |publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hsueh PR, Teng LJ, Yang PC, Pan HL, Ho SW, Luh KT | title = Nosocomial pseudoepidemic caused by Bacillus cereus traced to contaminated ethyl alcohol from a liquor factory | journal = Journal of Clinical Microbiology | volume = 37 | issue = 7 | pages = 2280–2284 | date = July 1999 | pmid = 10364598 | pmc = 85137 | doi = 10.1128/JCM.37.7.2280-2284.1999 }}</ref>

A study of an isolate of ''Bacillus cereus'' that was isolated from the stomach of a sheep was shown to be able to break down β-[[cypermethrin]] (β-CY) which has been known to be an antimicrobial agent. This strain, known as GW-01, can break down β-CY at a significant rate when the bacterial cells are in high concentrations relative to the antimicrobial agent. It has also been noted that the ability to break down β-CY is inducible. However, as the concentration of β-CY increases, the rate of β-CY degradation decreases. This suggests that the agent also functions as a toxin against the GW-01 strain. This is significant as it shows that in the right concentrations, β-CY can be used as an antimicrobial agent against ''Bacillus cereus''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Jiayuan |last2=Jiang |first2=Yangdan |last3=Gong |first3=Lanmin |last4=Chen |first4=Xiaofeng |last5=Xie |first5=Qingling |last6=Jin |first6=Yan |last7=Du |first7=Juan |last8=Wang |first8=Shufang |last9=Liu |first9=Gang |date=2022-02-15 |title=Mechanism of β-cypermethrin metabolism by Bacillus cereus GW-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S138589472104537X |journal=Chemical Engineering Journal |language=en |volume=430 |pages=132961 |doi=10.1016/j.cej.2021.132961 |s2cid=239126417 |issn=1385-8947}}</ref>