Bacillus | Definition, Features, & Types | Britannica (original) (raw)

bacillus, (genus Bacillus), any of a genus of rod-shaped, gram-positive, aerobic or (under some conditions) anaerobic bacteria widely found in soil and water. The term bacillus has been applied in a general sense to all cylindrical or rodlike bacteria. The largest known Bacillus species, B. megaterium, is about 1.5 μm (micrometres; 1 μm = 10−6 m) across by 4 μm long. Bacillus frequently occur in chains.

Bacillus subtilisA Bacillus subtilis bacterial colony entering the log phase of growth after 18–24 hours of incubation at 37 °C (98.6 °F; magnified about 6×).

In 1877 German botanist Ferdinand Cohn provided an authoritative description of two different forms of hay bacillus (now known as Bacillus subtilis): one that could be killed upon exposure to heat and one that was resistant to heat. He called the heat-resistant forms “spores” (endospores) and discovered that these dormant forms could be converted to a vegetative, or actively growing, state. Today it is known that all Bacillus species can form dormant spores under adverse environmental conditions. These endospores may remain viable for long periods of time. Endospores are resistant to heat, chemicals, and sunlight and are widely distributed in nature, primarily in soil, from which they invade dust particles.

Some types of Bacillus bacteria are harmful to humans, plants, or other organisms. For example, B. cereus sometimes causes spoilage in canned foods and food poisoning of short duration. B. subtilis is a common contaminant of laboratory cultures (it plagued Louis Pasteur in many of his experiments) and is often found on human skin. Most strains of Bacillus are not pathogenic for humans but may, as soil organisms, infect humans incidentally. A notable exception is B. anthracis, which causes anthrax in humans and domestic animals. B. thuringiensis produces a toxin (Bt toxin) that causes disease in insects.

Medically useful antibiotics are produced by B. subtilis (bacitracin). In addition, strains of B. amyloliquefaciens bacteria, which occur in association with certain plants, are known to synthesize several different antibiotic substances, including bacillaene, macrolactin, and difficidin. These substances serve to protect the host plant from infection by fungi or other bacteria and have been studied for their usefulness as biological pest-control agents.

A gene encoding an enzyme known as barnase in B. amyloliquefaciens is of interest in the development of genetically modified (GM) plants. Barnase combined with another protein synthesized by B. amyloliquefaciens known as barstar, forming the barnase-barstar gene system, was used to develop a line of non-self-fertilizing transgenic mustard (Brassica juncea) plants with enhanced outbreeding capability. The gene controlling production of the Bt toxin in B. thuringiensis has been used in the development of GM crops such as Bt cotton (see genetically modified organism).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.