Investigating the toxin production by Bacillus cereus, strain characterization and detection for improving food safety

Bacillus cereus is a problematic food pathogen that , upon human uptake, causes vomiting through emetic toxins, or diarhoea through enterotoxins. The behavior of this food pathogen in the gastrointestinal tract is not well known. More knowledge can lead to preventive measures or better advize towards society to more effectively protect the population. In this project, special attention is payed to the competition of B. cereus with other gut microbiota, the potency to adhere to the intestinal wall and the circumstances under which these pathogens produce enterotoxins.