Hemolysin

Human pathogen

Virulence

Inflammasome

Receptor

Bacillus cereus

Escherichia coli

Enterotoxin

Microbiology

Bacteria

Biology

Gene

Pore-forming toxin

Pathogen

Toxin

Cereus

Pyroptosis

Aerolysin

Genetics

Microbial toxins

Trends in Microbiology

The toxin-producing bacterium Bacillus cereus is an important and neglected human pathogen and a common cause of food poisoning. Several toxins have been implicated in disease, including the pore-forming toxins hemolysin BL (HBL) and nonhemolytic enterotoxin (NHE). Recent work revealed that HBL binds to the mammalian surface receptors LITAF and CDIP1 and that both HBL and NHE induce potassium efflux and activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, leading to pyroptosis. These mammalian receptors, in part, contribute to inflammation and pathology.

Bacillus cereus: Epidemiology, Virulence Factors, and Host–Pathogen Interactions