ABSTRACT
The European literature from the beginning of the century contains numerous accounts of food poisonings caused by Bacillus cereus or B. cereus-like organisms. The heat resistance of B. cereus spores is a factor of primary concern to the food and pharmaceutical industries and has received much attention. A new form of B. cereus gastroenteritis was identified in the United Kingdom following several incidents associated with the consumption of cooked rice from Chinese restaurants and take-away outlets. References to B. cereus in the feces of individuals other than in the context of food poisoning, though rare, date back to 1919, when it was recorded that B. cereus was isolated from approximately two thirds of over 50 Baltimore children. The ingestion of B. cereus may be regarded as an inevitable consequence of the widespread contamination of our food supply with this organism. The epidemiological application of the UK sero typing scheme in the investigation of B. cereus gastroenteritis is well documented.
