EN
B. cereus is a Gram-positive, relatively anaerobic, rod-shaped pathogen, which has the ability to produce endospores. This microorganism is widespread in the environment, from which it can pass into raw materials and all food products, including milk. The endospores of the enterotoxigenic strains of B. cereus often occur in dehydrated food, such as milk powder and infant formula. Therefore, the presence of this microorganism in products for infants is controlled. Because of the psychrotrophic properties of many B. cereus strains, the bacteria are able to grow at a cooling temperature and therefore may reduce the stability of milk and dairy products. B. cereus may cause food poisoning by producing enterotoxins. There are two types of poisoning caused by B. cereus: diarrheal and vomiting. The first form of poisoning can be caused by two different toxins: hemolytic enterotoxin HBL and non-hemolityc enterotoxin NHE, produced by bacteria in the small intestine. The vomiting poisoning is caused by food that already contains the emetic toxin: cereulide. In newborns and immunocompromised patients, these bacteria can also cause serious systemic infections unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract. It is difficult to estimate the number of cases of B. cereus infections and to compare these numbers for different countries because keeping such records is not legally required.