Towards a consensus taxonomy of the Bacillus cereus group of bacteria in the sequencing era
(2024) 2024 International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control (SIP 2024) — Location: Vienna, Austria (28.July.2024)
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- Abstract
- A robust microbial taxonomy (naming/description/classification) has profound implications for understanding pathogenicity, and effectively setting appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks. Thus, objectively delimiting microbial species boundaries remains an important challenge and becomes urgent when unresolved taxonomy threatens food security and public health. An example of this is the taxonomic situation for the Bacillus cereus group. These closely related Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria include the opportunistic pathogen B. cereus (sensu stricto), frequently implicated in food poisoning and food spoilage worldwide, Bacillus anthracis, the cause of the lethal disease anthrax, and Bacillus thuringiensis, an insect pathogen which is the world’s most widely used biological pesticide (sprayed on crops to kill insect pests). These three species are largely defined by their toxicity phenotypes. Over the last decade, however, 30 additional species, and even up to 57 genomospecies, have been proposed in the group based on numerous genetic analyses, leaving the B. cereus group taxonomy in collapse. B. cereus group bacteria are thus at the centre of a taxonomic conflict, as the different “species” are hard to identify based on genetic criteria and, at the same time, the main distinguishing phenotypic (toxicity) features are conferred by mobile genetic elements (MGEs). A novel approach for a nomenclature of the B. cereus group was recently proposed, based on a phylogenetic genomospecies/subspecies/biovars framework. However, this novel classification remains controversial and has not been generally or formally adopted. We have started a collaborative effort to constitute a research network that addresses the issues of B. cereus group taxonomy, accommodating the phylogenetic approach and reconciling the contribution of MGEs, while still retaining some of the clinical, environmental, and socioeconomic aspects associated with the classical species.
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Gillis, A., Hendriksen, N. B., & Økstad, O. A. (2024). Towards a consensus taxonomy of the Bacillus cereus group of bacteria in the sequencing era. 2024 International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control (SIP 2024), Vienna, Austria. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/240778