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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2008, p. 850-860, Vol. 74, No. 3
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01495-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Multiple-Locus Sequence Typing and Analysis of Toxin Genes in Bacillus cereus Food-Borne Isolates{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Barbara Cardazzo,* Enrico Negrisolo, Lisa Carraro, Leonardo Alberghini, Tomaso Patarnello, and Valerio Giaccone

Department of Public Health, Comparative Pathology and Veterinary Hygiene, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy

Received 4 July 2007/ Accepted 25 November 2007

In the present study we characterized 47 food-borne isolates of Bacillus cereus using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Newly determined sequences were combined with sequences available in public data banks in order to produce the largest data set possible. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on a total of 296 strains for which MLST sequence information is available, and three main lineages—I, II, and III—within the B. cereus complex were identified. With few exceptions, all food-borne isolates were in group I. The occurrence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) among various strains was analyzed by several statistical methods, providing evidence of widespread lateral gene transfer within B. cereus. We also investigated the occurrence of toxin-encoding genes, focusing on their evolutionary history within B. cereus. Several patterns were identified, indicating a pivotal role of HGT in the evolution of toxin-encoding genes. Our results indicate that HGT is an important element in shaping the population structure of the B. cereus complex. The results presented here also provide strong evidence of reticulate evolution within the B. cereus complex.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Public Health, Comparative Pathology and Veterinary Hygiene, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy. Phone: 39 049 8272965. Fax: 39 049 8272506. E-mail: barbara.cardazzo{at}unipd.it

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 December 2007.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2008, p. 850-860, Vol. 74, No. 3
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01495-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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