Unique appendages associated with spores of Bacillus cereus isolates

Electron microscopic observations revealed the presence of a new type of large appendage on the spores of two Bacillus cereus strains isolated from phylloplanes. The appendages were thin and sword-like in shape, having the sizes of 1.5 to 2.8 microns in length and 0.03 to 0.6 micron in width. There were no core or sheath structures in these appendages. The number of appendages on a spore ranged from three to more than twenty, radiating from the swelling on one end of the exosporium. These appendages gave a unique octopus- or jellyfish-like feature to the spores.