Bacillus anthracis germination

Bacillus anthracis can remain for extended periods of time in soil. The mechanism responsible for its persistence is unclear. Therefore, persistence may involve multiplication cycles and sporulation. It may involve multiplication of the organism in the soil or bacterial amplification in infected animals prior to soil contamination by the carcass. Spores may germinate simply upon application of water to soil (Hanna and Ireland, 1999 Oncul et al, 2002). 

Guidi-Rontani, C., Pereira, Y., Ruffle, S., Sirard, J.C., Weher-Levy, M., Mock, M. (1999a). Identification and characterization of a germination operon on the virulence plasmid pXOl of Bacillus anthracis. Mol. Microbiol. 33 407-14. 

Huang, C.M., Foster, K.W., DeSilva, T.S., Van Kampen, K.R., Elmets, C.A., Tang, D.C. (2004). Identification of Bacillus anthracis proteins associated with germination and early outgrowth by proteomic profiling of anthrax spores. Proteo-mics 4 2653-61. 

Ireland, J.A.W., Hanna, P.C. (2002). Macrophage-enhanced germination of Bacillus anthracis endospores requires gerS. Infect. Immun. 70 5870-2. 

Guidi-Rontani, C., Weber-Levy, M., Labruyere, E., et al., 1999b. Germination of Bacillus anthracis spores within alveolar macrophages. Mol. Microbiol. 31,9-17. 

---