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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Visualization of Germinosomes and the Inner Membrane in Bacillus subtilis Spores
Published on: April 15, 2019
Bacillus subtilis spores germinate in the chicken gastrointestinal tract
Stephen T Cartman1, Roberto M La Ragione, Martin J Woodward
1Department of Food and Environmental Safety, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom. stephen.cartman@nottingham.ac.uk
Abstract:
A number of poultry probiotics contain bacterial spores. In this study, orally administered spores of Bacillus subtilis germinated in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of chicks. Furthermore, 20 h after spores were administered, vegetative cells outnumbered spores throughout the GI tract. This demonstrates that spore-based probiotics may function in this host through metabolically active mechanisms.
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