Aiming to develop a DNA marker specific for Bacillus anthracis and able to discriminate this species from Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus mycoides, we applied the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting technique to a collection of 101 strains of the genus Bacillus, including 61 strains of the B. cereus group. An 838-bp RAPD marker (SG-850) specific for B....

Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming, Gram-positive microorganism. It is a causative agent of anthrax, a highly infectious disease. It belongs to the "Bacillus cereus group", which contains other closely related species, including Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus weihenstephanensis, and Bacillus pseudomycoides. B. anthracis naturally occurs in soil environme...

OBJECTIVES Bacillus anthracis as the bacterial agent of anthrax, is spread in different geographical zones around the world.The purpose of this survey was to observe eventual apoptotic reactions in total genomic DNA of UVB irradiated colonies of Bacillus anthracis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The colonies of Bacillus anthracis were exposed to UVB ray for 10 minutes; then, the DNA molecules of contr...

  Protection of animals immunized against Bacillus anthracis is usually demonstrated by challenging with an appropriate dose of a strain of Bacillus anthracis that is lethal to unvaccinated animals inoculated at the same time. In this study the protective efficacy in anthrax vaccine (34F2 sterne strain spore) was evaluated in sheep, goats and guinea pigs challenged with subcutaneous inoculation...

The identification of Bacillus anthracis involves its differentiation from other aerobic sporeformers, particularly Bacillus cereus. Smith et al. (1952), in a study of aerobic sporeforming bacteria, concluded that B. anthracis is a pathogenic variety of B. cereus. They also stated that strains of B. anthracis which had lost their virulence could not be differentiated from B. cereus. This appare...

protection of animals immunized against bacillus anthracis is usually demonstrated by challenging with an appropriate dose of a strain of bacillus anthracis that is lethal to unvaccinated animals inoculated at the same time. in this study the protective efficacy in anthrax vaccine (34f2 sterne strain spore) was evaluated in sheep, goats and guinea pigs challenged with subcutaneous inoculation o...

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease that is also well recognized as a potential agent of bioterrorism. Routine culture and biochemical testing methods are useful for the identification of Bacillus anthracis, but a definitive identification may take 24 to 48 h or longer and may require that specimens be referred to another laboratory. Virulent isolates of B. anthracis contain two plasmids (pX01 and pX...

AIMS In order to improve the diagnosis of Bacillus anthracis in environmental samples, we established a DNA microarray based on the ArrayTube technology of Clondiag. METHODS AND RESULTS Total DNA of a bacterial colony is randomly biotinylated and hybridized to the array. The probes on the array target the virulence genes, the genomic marker gene rpoB, as well as the selective 16S rDNA sequenc...

Here, we report the draft genome sequences of the type strains of three cellulolytic or hemicellulolytic alkaliphilic Bacillus species: Bacillus wakoensis, Bacillus akibai, and Bacillus hemicellulosilyticus. The genome information for these three strains will be useful for studies of alkaliphilic Bacillus species, their evolution, and biotechnological applications for their enzymes.