- CAR bacillus in URT infection in cattle and URT infection in rabbits
- Can cause vascular fragility, leading to haemorrhagic disease.
- Causes severe systemic disease that can result in enteritis.
- peritonitis in pigs
Overview
- Mostly non-pathogenic environmental organisms
- Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax
- Anthrax is a severe disease affecting all mammals worldwide
- Ruminants are highly susceptible to anthrax, dying of a septicaemic form
- Pigs and horses are moderately susceptible, but carnivores are fairly resistant
- Bacillus licheniformis may cause shoradic abortions in cattle and sheep
- Bacillus cereus causes food poisoning in humans and mastitis in cows
Characteristics
- Large, Gram positive rods
- Produce endospores
- Aerobes or facultative anaerobes
- Grow on non-enriched media
- Motile
- Catalase positive, oxidase negative
- Bacillus anthracis colonies are up to 5mm diameter, flat, dry, grey, with a ground-glass appearance; curled outgrowthsfrom the edge of the colony give a 'medusa head' appearance; non-haemolytic (differentiate from Bacillus cereus)
- Bacillus licheniformis forms dull, rough, wrinkled colonies, with hair-like outgrowths
- Biochemical tests for identification
- Can often tolerate adverse environmental conditions
Bacillus anthracis
- Pathogenesis and pathogenicity:
- Saprophyte in soil
- Capsule composed of homopolymer of D-isomer of glutamic acid allows survival in the body by resisting phagocytosis
- Capsule stains mauve with polychrome methylene blue in the MacFadyean's reaction - identify anthrax in blood samples
- Bacilli appear as chains of dark blue, square-ended rods surounded with the capsule
- Extracellular toxin (holotoxin) composed of oedema factor, protective factor and lethal factor
- Oedema factor is an adenylate cyclase which increases intracellular cAMP concetrations, damaging phagocytes
- Protective factor binds to the cell receptor to allow action of the other factors
- The toxin kills phagocytes, increases capillary permeability and interferes with clooting cascade
- Capillary thrombosis; leakage of fluid through damaged capillary endothelium
- Systemic shock from circulatory collapse, haemorrhage and oedema lead to death of the animal
- Clinical signs:
Bacillus licheniformis
- Widespread in the environment
- Associated with food spoilage
- Abortion in cattle and sheep, possibly from spoiled silage or hay