Bacillus cereus food poisoning

　　Bacillus cereus food poisoning is caused by the ingestion of enterotoxins produced by Bacillus cereus. Bacillus cereus is an aerobic rod-shaped bacterium, Gram-positive, with a size of (3～5)μm×(1～1.2)μm, having spores, which are elliptical and located in the middle or subterminal part of the bacterial body, without a capsule, and motile. Its spores can withstand high temperatures and require at least 20 minutes at 100℃ to kill. It can reproduce in large quantities at a suitable temperature of 28～35℃.

　　Complications of Bacillus cereus food poisoning are rare, and it is a self-limiting disease that can recover without treatment. However, combined with other gastrointestinal infections, it may cause more serious symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, and it is necessary to go to the hospital for treatment in a timely manner.

　　The incubation period of Bacillus cereus food poisoning varies, and it is about 6-14 hours after eating if the live bacteria are ingested, with sudden onset of abdominal pain, diarrhea, watery stools, nausea, and vomiting are less common, and a few patients have fever; if the bacterial toxins are ingested, the incubation period is shorter, 1-5 hours, even as short as tens of minutes, mainly vomiting, accompanied by abdominal pain, a few followed by diarrhea, without obvious fever.

　　Bacillus cereus is widely distributed, and prevention mainly involves preventing food contamination. Do not eat rotten and deteriorated leftover rice and leftovers, and strictly meet the hygiene requirements of cold dishes. Food should be fully heated and not left at room temperature for too long. If not eaten immediately, it should be cooled down as soon as possible and stored at low temperature, and then reheated before eating.

　　The clinical symptoms of Bacillus cereus food poisoning are obvious, and the diagnosis can be confirmed by combining the results of laboratory examination.
　　Laboratory examination:Bacillus cereus is cultured from the feces.
　　Other auxiliary examinations:Intestinal toxin test should be conducted to determine whether there is pathogenicity.

　　Half of the cases of Bacillus cereus food poisoning are caused by eating leftover rice that has been stored for too long. Secondly, it is caused by contaminated vegetables, milk, fish, meat, and other foods. The incidence is related to dietary hygiene habits and temperature, mainly occurring in summer. Therefore, attention must be paid to food hygiene.

　　Bacillus cereus food poisoning is usually mild and often self-limiting, so treatment is mainly based on对症处理 according to the condition, and antibiotics can be used for severe cases. Once the condition worsens or changes, it is necessary to go to the hospital for professional treatment in a timely manner.