Pathogenic role of Bacillus cereus in wound infections in the tropics

A bacteriological survey was undertaken on clinically infected traumatic wounds amongst a group of young and fit Operation Raleigh members, who were living and working in a remote area of Costa Rican rain forest. All infected wounds were swabbed before treatment and, where possible, at intervals during treatment. Swabs were also obtained from the nose and throat of each patient. All swabs were stored by desiccation in sterile silica gel for culture at a later date. Culture revealed a high rate of isolation of Bacillus cereus from the wounds. The organism was commonly isolated in pure and heavy growth. Contamination by B. cereus was considered and excluded experimentally. Preliminary toxological studies have shown that the majority of the isolates produce a necrotic exotoxin, in keeping with the clinical findings. These results suggest that B. cereus caused significant sepsis in this series of traumatic wounds.