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Growth and enterotoxin production by diarrhoeagenic Bacillus cereus in dietary supplements prepared for hospitalized HIV patients

1998; Elsevier BV; Volume: 38; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0195-6701(98)90067-6

1532-2939

Neil J. Rowan, J.G. Anderson,

Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology

This study was initiated because of an increase in diarrhoeal episodes in a ward caring for patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An examination of hospital-prepared dietary supplements (build-up food) found Bacillus cereus to be a potential problem. Due in part to inadequate refrigeration conditions (13 ± 4 °C), the microbial flora in commercially pasteurized semi-skimmed milk (PSSM) reached potentially hazardous levels (>106 cfu/mL). While refrigerated PSSM did not support enterotoxin production, reconstitution of build-up powder in PSSM followed by storage in the HIV ward (4 h at 28 ± 3 °C) resulted in growth of B. cereus (>107 cfu/mL) and synthesis of diarrhoeal enterotoxin. While insufficient epidemiological data was available to establish conclusively a causal relationship between patients' symptoms and source, the study highlights a potential B. cereus problem with hospital-prepared dietary supplements and recommendations are proposed to prevent this re-occurrence.