Bacillus Subtilis

Bacillus Subtilis Latest News

Recently, Kerala officially declared Bacillus subtilis as ‘State microbe’.

About Bacillus Subtilis

• Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) is a type of probiotic (“good” bacteria) found naturally in the human gut.
• It’s also found in fermented foods.

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Characteristics of Bacillus Subtilis

• It is a spore forming, motile, rod-shaped, Gram-positive, facultative aerobe.
• It is mostly found in soil and vegetation with an optimal growth temperature from 25-35 degrees Celsius. 
• B. subtilis has the ability to produce and secrete antibiotics.
• The genomic structure of this microorganism contains five signal peptidase genes that are important for the secretion of these antibiotics. 
• It has shown to be capable of secreting polymyxin, difficidin, subtilin, and mycobacillin.
• It is used as a model organism for studying endospore formation in bacteria.
• Endospores of B. subtilis can tolerate harsh environmental conditions, such as UV exposure and high temperatures.
• Bacillus subtilis Transmission and Disease: B.subtilis is non-pathogenic but can contaminate food and be considered an opportunistic pathogen among the immuno-compromised.

Applications Bacillus Subtilis 

• They are used on seeds, vegetables, and plants as a fungicide because of their ability to produce antibiotics. 
• It inhabits the root system of the plant competing with disease causing organisms. Some B. subtilis strains are capable of producing toxins for insects. These strains are used by farms to protect their crops.
• B. subtilis endopores serve as one of the models for evaluating the effectiveness of sporicides and sterilants.

Source: TH