''Bacillus mycoides'' is a

bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were amon ...

of the genus ''

Bacillus ''Bacillus'' (Latin "stick") is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria, a member of the phylum '' Bacillota'', with 266 named species. The term is also used to describe the shape (rod) of other so-shaped bacteria; and the plural ''Bacill ...

''. Like other ''Bacillus'' species, ''B. mycoides'' is Gram positive, rod-shaped, and forms

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

. ''B. mycoides'' is distinguished from other ''Bacillus'' species by its unusual growth on agar plates, where it forms expansive hairy colonies with characteristic swirls.

Description

''B. mycoides'' are rod-shaped cells about 1

micron The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Un ...

across and 3 to 5 microns long. When growing, they either grow as single cells or form loosely connected chains of cells. They are not motile. ''B. mycoides'' can survive with or without oxygen and grows at temperatures ranging from 10 to 15 °C to 35–40 °C. ''B. mycoides'' is distinguished from a number of other ''Bacillus'' species in the unusual morphology of the colonies it forms when grown on agar plates. ''B. mycoides'' forms white opaque colonies that are characteristically hairy in appearance (often referred to as "rhizoid"). These colonies rapidly spread to fill the plate and are characterized by a repeating spiral pattern.Di Franco, C., Beccari, E., Santini, T., Pisaneschi, G., & Tecce, G. 2002. Colony shape as a genetic trait in the pattern-forming ''Bacillus mycoides''. BMC Microbiol. 2, 33. ''B. mycoides'' has the unusual property of being able to respond to mechanical force and surface structure variations in the media on which it is growing.

Ecology and distribution

''B. mycoides'' is present in a wide variety of environments, especially soil.

Role in disease

''B. mycoides'' are capable of causing disease in some fish, and were the reported cause of an outbreak of

necrotic Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, or trauma which result in the unregulated dige ...

lesions in channel catfish in a commercial pond in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

''B. weihenstephanensis''

In 1998 a new ''Bacillis'' species was described, and named ''Bacillus weihenstephanensis''. However, twenty years later, a comparison of the complete genome sequences of ''B. weihenstephanensis'' and ''B. mycoides'' demonstrated that ''B. weihenstephanensis'' was a later synonym for ''B. mycoides'', and thus not a valid species, nor species name.

References

External links