Bacillus cereus enterotoxin secretion and receptor specificity – impact of Gram-positive and Gram-negative model systems

Bacillus cereus (Bc) has for long been Norway’s most important food-poisoner. This species makes three different enterotoxins and one emetic toxin. The main goal with this project is to combine the knowledge of two research groups to determine how the ent erotoxins are secreted from Bc and to characterize the receptors of the enterotoxins from the epithelium of the small intestine. This work could possibly explain why the susceptibility for the disease varies among age groups and individuals.