Bacillus subtilis

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.
• 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. 
  • 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.
• Transmission and Disease: subtilis is non-pathogenic but can contaminate food and be considered an opportunistic pathogen among the immuno-compromised.
• Applications Bacillus subtilis:
  • It is 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.
  • subtilis endopores serve as one of the models for evaluating the effectiveness of sporicides and sterilants.